Growing Pains
by mizutanitony
Summary: Akira Kurusu finally moves out of his parents house and in with his girlfriend and former teacher, Sadayo Kawakami. While the couple have done their best to prepare; school, work, and conflicting schedules lead to troubles the two to wonder if moving in together was such a good idea. As well as the fallout from lying to their families. Sequel to "Never a Moment Alone".
1. Chapter 1

New story guys...and oh my god with this it was one day into my break and it suddenly just that bug hit me… I need to work on my book but for right now..these two are my focus...the book...the book has been planned for a while and I have my ideas..just need Civil War stuff. You guys are awesomeness though, and I missed all of you!

Also...there may be a few repeated moments in this chapter...and we're going to move into some of the more sexual aspects of the whole...master/maid...thing...ummm yeah. you'll also find out the winner fo the bet in this one! Or it may be a side story. I hope youg uys enjoy. This was supposed to be longer but I figured what I got here is a pretty good start!

Comment and like guys...I enjoy your constructive comments.

Also...I'll get back to the baby stuff soon, but there's a few more avenues I'm going to explore before that. Sorry!

Chapter 1

Moving day had finally arrived, and the Kurusu household was in a mild state of panic.

While Akira had been packed for nearly a week and was ready to just load the few remaining boxes into Sojiro's new car and leave, his parents had other was barely after seven when his mother began banging on his door, telling him to get out of bed and help clean up the small piles of paperwork, books, and dishes that littered the house. Akira didn't know why; they had no one coming over to pick him up since he only had his oversize duffel bag and Mona's carrier to take on the train with him, not to mention the fact that everyone was busy with either work or school. But as he cleaned the kitchen, Akira figured it was mostly because his parents wanted him out of his room and around for his last day, and was glad to see that his little sister had already been sent off to school when he came down for breakfast.

It was just after noon when they finally finished the cleaning and when he'd finished the final bit of dishes, his mother walked into the kitchen saying that she would be making an experimental recipe she wanted to add to the menu of her and her partner's French-Italian restaurant. Of three restaurants his mother co-owned, this one was by far his favorite and wasted little time in asking his mother if he could help with the preparations. He asked to help as often as he could ever since Sadayo's visit, and while his mother hadn't given him any recipes to take with him, Akira'd picked up a few tricks every time he helped her.

"Of course you can help," she said with a huge smile, glad to have his assistance once more. "Grab me the bag on the middle shelf, along with some eggs please."

Akira did as his mother asked and grabbed everything from the fridge while his mother began pouring flour out onto one of her many cutting boards. Like he had when he was a child, Akira watched as his mother made a small well in the flour and began cracking the eggs into it before seasoning the mixture, explaining each step as she went along. When everything was seasoned, she stepped away, wiping her hands on her apron, before grabbing a small flat piece of metal and a fork.

"Ready to get your hands dirty," she asked as she held out the utensils for her son.

"I think I can handle it," teased Akira as he took the fork and whisked the eggs while his mother stared over his shoulder.

"Not bad," she said as she watched him. "Be careful not to whisk them too much and make sure you add your flour."

"Yes, chef." He teased, earning him a smack on the back of the head.

"Don't call me 'chef,'" snorted Sachiko as she smacked him a second time. "You're my son, not my employee." She chuckled as he slowly mixed the ingredients. "If this were the restaurant you'd have three other chefs on your ass for being too slow, so count your blessings that I'm not your boss."

"Thanks for your patience." Akira huffed as he began finding the fork too difficult to use. "So I go to my hands now?"

"Yep," she said with a smile and a nod. "It's the best way to get the texture you need; at least in my opinion. Oh, and make sure you move slowly and don't wipe your hands on anything, you get that flour on anything it's not supposed to I'll have you scrubbing this kitchen until the last possible second."

"Oh, joy." Akira dug his hands into the flour and realized why most people preferred to use mixing stands. The feeling of egg and wet dough on his fingers was something he'd never enjoyed. It felt like he was digging around in a mixture of pumpkin guts and soggy bread, but as it was his mother teaching him, he had little choice in the matter.

"Make sure you use the metal scraper I gave you. It'll help you keep everything together and save your hands from getting overtired," Sachiko reminded him, as she corrected his movements.

"That's looking good," she said as she watched his hands begin folding the dough into a ball. "You sure you don't want to go to culinary school? You seem to have inherited some of my talents."

"I'm sure," muttered Akira as he set aside the scraper and moved solely to his hands. The dough hadn't been too difficult to work at first, but as he began rolling it into a ball, his shoulder started to bother him.

"Not so easy, is it?" Sachiko had a devilish grin on her face, and Akira couldn't help but smile along.

"Now I know how you got so strong." Akira held out the ball of down for her to inspect, wiping a few beads of sweat away with the back of his hand after she took it from him.

His mother took a moment, her hands rising and falling as she balanced the dough, her face contorted in concentration before setting the ball back on the cutting board. After kneading it a few more times, Sachiko nodded and pointed at the hand-cranked pasta maker, and instructed her son in how to operate the overworked device and watched him with a critical eye.

While he cranked the pasta through the roller, Akira couldn't help but look at his mother. She was several inches shorter than him and a bit more plump than most women her age he'd known, but she was healthy in body and spirit. So healthy in fact that if it wasn't for her, he was confident his father would have been arrested for losing his mind in the courtroom when they'd arrived for his hearing both during his initial arrest and when the courts sentenced him for violating the terms of his probation.

Passing the dough through for the third time, Akira heard his mother ask, "So, what's gotten into you lately?"

"What are you talking about?" Akira was in the middle of cranking the dough through the noisy machine as he gave his mother a nervous look. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears and had to take several deep breaths to keep his arm working.

"There's only a handful of reasons a boy your age wants to learn how to cook, and I want to know why? Not to mention the fact that you've suddenly had a slightly better attitude over the past few weeks." Sachiko investigated the dough and decided to give it one final pass through the maker before setting it aside and showing Akira how to prep the meat and vegetables.

"I'm excited," he said as he did what his mother had told him. "I'm officially moving out, and I'm starting college, so I wanted to learn how to cook. A lot of people always talk about how college kids can't cook, and I don't want to end up like that. Not to mention the fact that I got enough of eating out last. I kind of like having home cooked meals."

"So the prospects of cooking for yourself and getting away from us has made you excited," she sighed under her breath as she began cooking the meat.

"Mom!" The knife slipped at his mother's comment, nearly slicing off a large portion of his thumb. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Akira set the blade aside and asked, "What the hell made you say something like that?"

"Number one," growled Sachiko as she turned her attention from the meat to her son. "You do not use that language with me. You're still my child, and I will not tolerate you speaking to me like that."

"Sorry," mumbled Akira, his face beet red. "I wasn't trying to offend you."

"Apology accepted." Sachiko crossed her arms and glowered at him.

"What's reason two," he asked after he felt it was safe to ask.

"My other reason," she said frustratedly, "is that since you've been back, you've been a petulant brat. You've been hiding in your room, barely coming down to eat with us, and working non-stop when you haven't been studying. Don't get me wrong," she said when she saw that her son was about to interrupt, "your father and I are proud of you for how well you've been doing since you came back. You've buckled down and kept your head out of trouble, but we're both concerned that you're hiding something from us or that you hate us."

"I don't hate you," he said quietly, embarrassed that he hadn't noticed how his attitude had affected his parents. "I just...saw a lot of terrible things that honestly I don't feel comfortable talking about with you guys. Not to mention that you guys left me alone for nearly a year. I heard almost nothing from you guys and was left to my own devices. I got used to dealing with things on my own, so I just don't feel the need to talk as much."

"Or it could be that you found other people to talk to."

Akira saw her mother give him a wink, but the pain was evident in her voice.

"Mom, I wasn't trying to..."

"Akira," Sachiko turned down the heat on the stove and gave her son a gentle kiss on the forehead before squeezing his cheeks between her palms. "You're an adult. I can't be there to hold your hand all the time, and it's natural for things like this to happen. But I am your mother," her palms turned into her fingers and she had her son howling in pain as she pinched his cheek like an elderly aunt or grandmother.

"I'm not so dumb as to think your father and I are the only people you talk to about these things. We like your friends, and we're glad you have them. But to be honest, I know you aren't learning to cook just for yourself. The things I'm teaching you to make aren't things you usually cook for yourself. So," Sachiko began to pinch him harder, "are you going to tell me the truth or are you just going to stand there and say nothing about the real reason you've been volunteering to help me cook?"

" 'om et gah," whimpered Akira as the pressure on his cheeks increased to the point of almost having him in tears.

"Are you going to answer my question?" His mother's eyes narrowed behind her thin glasses, and Akira was rooted to the spot thanks to the pain surging through his face.

"'es" he cried as he put his hands on her wrists. "'eas 'et me go."

Sachiko's hands dropped, and Akira immediately began rubbing his cheeks in pain while his mother went about filling the dough with the filling.

"Why'd you have to do that?" Akira adjusted his jaw and gave his mother a confused look.

"As I said, we know you've been hiding things from us," huffed his mother as she sealed the dough and pointed at the fridge and asking him the last of her ingredients. "It's bad enough that you barely look us in the eye, but when you notice your son only smiles when he gets a text message or the fact that you have to go and talk to the school counselor about how you haven't been socializing at school...,"

"That's not my fault," bit back Akira as he set the ingredients down on the island. "I wasn't even back a week before half the school was talking about me behind my back. Let alone the fact that whatever friends I did have before I left wouldn't speak to me thanks to whoever started spreading those lies about why I got expelled in the first place. Not to mention all the lies about the kind of part-time work I did when I lived in Tokyo."

"I'm not blaming you for that," answered his mother cooly. "Your father and I knew something like that would happen and we were able to straighten it out by telling the counselor that we figured it had something to do with rumors." When she looked up, she saw that Akira was stunned and gave him a wink. "We do still look out for you when we can despite your lowered opinion of us."

"Thanks," he whispered as he finished chopping his ingredients. "If it makes you feel any better, I do understand some of why you did what you did, and for what it's worth, I do appreciate it to an extent."

"That's good to know." Sachiko gave her son a weak smile and set her knife down and shook her head. "I mean your father, and I aren't...we aren't completely thrilled with why you're moving, but we understand your reasons. Which..," Sachiko stopped and let out a heavy sigh as she said, "which is why it's so painful that you decided not to tell us that you found someone while you were in Tokyo."

"What are you talking about?" Akira was beginning to feel sick. He hadn't told his parents anything about Sadayo, and unless one of the others or Sojiro let it slip, there were very few ways that his mother would know about his relationship.

"It's not that difficult to tell what's going on," whispered Sachiko as she began preparing the pasta for the next phase. Looking up she saw that her son looked confused and she gave him a loving smile. "I could tell something was up one the first time I saw you smile at your phone. That's not the kind of smile a person has on their face when they're talking to a friend or family member,"

"Mom," Akira focused on his mother's hands, too afraid to look her in the eye. "I don't know what you thought you saw but..."

"It's not just your smile," she answered after folding over the majority of the pasta. Dusting her hands off on her apron she lifted her son's gaze and gave him a gentle pat on the cheek. Akira noticed that her face was bright red and felt himself blush when she said, "I've also heard some of the things you've said through your door late at night; things most people wouldn't say to their friends."

"Why were you listening to my conversations?" Akira wasn't sure if he should laugh at this revelation or be angry at his mother and he could tell by the look on her face that she was just as upset as he was.

"I wasn't trying to," she sighed as she had him begin folding the last few bits of the pasta, her ears a bright pink. "I was going to get a drink from the kitchen, and I just happened to overhear you say a few...choice...activities; you'd like to try with them."

"What else did you hear?" Akira was beginning to feel nauseated at the prospect of his mother overhearing them discuss her visit the previous summer.

"Not much else." Sachiko's ears and cheeks were now a bright red, and he watched as she busied herself with gathering the ingredients for the sauce she was planning. "After the first time, I trained myself to ignore your talks because frankly once was enough."

"Thanks, I think," said Akira as he took out a clean knife and began chopping up some of the herbs.

While she and Akira began preparing the herbs, Sachiko gulped loudly and asked, "Are you two at least being safe?"

"MOM!" Akira began laughing followed shortly by his mother.

"It's a legitimate question." Sachiko gathered up the ingredients and tossed them into a pan. "I understand you're young and think you're in love and feeling something like that can sometimes make people forget to take the necessary precautions."

"You mean like you and dad?" This question earned Akira an elbow in the ribs and a glare from his mother.

"You're not cute," she said as she began showing him how to prepare the sauce. "And no matter what your father says, you weren't a mistake."

"I never said he was a mistake." Grunted Kurusu Osamu as he wandered into the kitchen. Save for the graying hair, bloodshot eyes, and scruff of a beard, Osamu looked like a mid-forties version of his son. "I said he was a 'happy accident.' Don't go putting words in my mouth young lady."

"I'll say whatever I damn well please," chuckled Sachiko as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss her husband's cheek. "Besides, you were the one who forgot to put on the..."

"I don't need to hear this!" Akira turned his attention away from the food for and glowered at his parents. "You're going to make me sick before we even eat."

"I don't doubt it." Osamu wandered over to the stove and looked at the creamy sauce his son was stirring. "I thought you only knew how to cook curry?"

"I've been teaching him off and on since he came home. Something you'd know if you stepped out of your office when we cooked dinner." Sachiko began prepping a pot with some water and salt before shooing her husband away. "He's becoming a decent enough cook, but he still has a long way to go."

"We did raise him to be self-sufficient," mused Osamu took the spoon his wife offered him and dipped it into the sauce. "Not bad needs a little more cayenne in my opinion. Why are you two making this anyway?"

"It's his last lunch at home before heading off to college." Sachiko came up and gave her son's bruised cheek another painful pinch. "I wanted my little boy to have something special before he left us again not to mention that I've been meaning to come up with a few new recipes for work."

"Can you please stop that," howled Akira as he put the pot of water on the stove. "God, I'm not going to be able to eat at this rate."

"Please leave him be," Osamu said with a wink at his wife before taking another bite of sauce, narrowly avoiding the splash of hot water that came with Akira pouring the pasta into the pot. "Well if you want my opinion later I can give it to you, my love." As he set his spoon in the sink, Osamu looked between his wife and son and asked, "Unless the two of you would rather spend our remaining hour or so before leaving discussing our son's love life?"

"God, can you two just…." Akira set the ladle he was using down on the counter just a bit too hard and ran his hands through his hair after shutting off the stove and stared at his father his eyes wide in realization as to what his father had just asked. "She told you about my...?"

"Yes and no," muttered Osamu as he gave his son an embarrassed look. "I mean your mother did tell me about your relationship, and I heard you tell Ryuji about where you planned on taking them for dinner the first chance you got a few months ago."

"For the love of...," Akira rubbed his temples before returning his attention to the stove. "You two have known for months, and instead of asking me you keep quiet, and you give me shit about keeping secrets?"

"First of all, watch your language, and second, we weren't keeping it a secret from you," grunted Osamu as he placed a hand on his son's right shoulder. "We know you've been having trust issues and if you look at how you've been acting with us and we didn't want to upset you."

"Don't." Akira shrugged his dad's hand away and rubbed the slight twinge of pain. "Don't shrink me and don't touch my shoulder. I've been having problems with this one."

"Then you should have told us about it" Osamu looked somewhat dejected at his son shrugging him off. "We could have taken you to the doctor and had it looked at or a chiropractor."

"I've got a doctor," replied Akira, sounding angrier than he wanted. "I'll see her first thing tomorrow."

"That's good to know," muttered Osamu with a concerned look to his wife. Sachiko merely shrugged and moved Akira away from the stove and took over while Osamu said, "And I want you to know that I'm not trying to 'shrink' you, okay? I'm your dad, and I love you. I know you're mad at us for sending you away, but you can trust us. We believe enough in you to at least understand why you wanted to keep it a secret from us?"

"It's not you...not completely." Akira continued rubbing his shoulder.

"All right." Osamu pulled the sauce off the stove and set it on the counter for his wife's later use. "Then what is it? You don't have much time before you leave and I don't want you leaving home angry."

"I don't either," sighed Sachiko as she drained the pasta. "We let you leave angry once; we don't want to do it again. We want you to start your life properly this time; you deserve that."

"Then just be honest with me," groaned Akira as his shoulder finally popped back into place. "Don't act like you care if it's just a joke."

"Akira," Osamu took his son's face in his hands and smiled. "We want to know, okay? We want to know whatever you want to tell us about whoever this...girl..boy...I'm not..."

"I'm dating a girl, Dad." Akira rolled his eyes and looked at his mother who was snickering behind his father's back as she retrieved some plates. "Really, Mom?"

"What? It's not like we're against it if you were dating a boy." Sachiko set the plates down and grabbed some forks. "I just find it funny that your father would feel the need to mention it."

"Well, it's not like I know all of his preferences." Osamu snorted as he turned his attention to plating food. "A lot of people begin experimenting around this age, so I just wanted to make sure before he started telling us….whatever it is he wants to tell us."

"Thanks for your support," huffed Akira as his mother approached with a plate of food.

"Don't get all huffy; we're respecting your boundaries, so the least you can do is at least be a little nicer to us." Sachiko pointed at the plate she'd set aside for him, and he joined them reluctantly. After her son took it, Sachiko dug into her food and smiled. "You did very well for a first time, Akira. I'm sure she'll enjoy it when you finally cook this for her."

"I hope so." Akira bit into the food and smirked at how good it tasted, it wasn't as good as his mother would have made it, but he was satisfied at least until his father began questioning him again.

"So, are you going to tell us what's bothering you or are you going to leave us in suspense?"

Setting down his fork, Akira quietly said, "I just want to get out of here. I don't like being here anymore. I don't mean here at home," he added hastily. "I mean the town. It's pretty clear that I don't belong here anymore. Everyone's heard of me, and if it weren't for Akane or Gin, I probably wouldn't have been able to find a job to save up enough to move out on my own."

"You know there are more people than us and those two that believed in you," answered Sachiko as she stopped eating. "Some people spoke on your behalf to that reporter who came around asking about what happened that night."

"And a few of those teachers wrote those letters of recommendation for you," Osamu added after his wife. "Most of them have had nothing but positive things to say about you since you've been back."

"I know." Akira had heard about a few of these people and knew that most of the issues at his school were because of the student body and not the administration, but the damage had done.

"I know what people have done for me in this town but...," Akira sighed and set his phone

"How long have you been seeing her," Osamu asked after eating almost half his food.

"About a year," Akira coughed as he wiped his mouth with a towel. He and Sadayo had come up with a few answers that they hoped would satisfy his and her parents until they were comfortable with revealing most of the truth about their relationship. "We started dating a bit after I left school. We met up back when I went back to Tokyo for that long weekend that fell on Futaba's birthday. We started talking and then after a while decided to give dating a try."

"Is she older? Younger?" Sachiko took a sip of water and continued eating, her gaze never leaving her son's.

"Older." Akira choked after chewing a piece of pasta. "She's out of school, and she's working, so if you're worried about her wanting whatever is in my bank account, you don't have to worry about that."

"We're not worried about that, son." Osamu set aside his plate and sighed. "Despite however angry we were about your 'adventures' last year we trust your judgment; we do believe in you. Okay?"

"Whatever you say, Dad." Akira could hear the sincerity in his dad's voice, but in the back of his mind he couldn't help but feel the smallest bit of distrust begin to fester.

"Your dad is telling the truth." Sachiko gave her son a tight hug and kissed his cheek and apologized as she wiped a stray bit of sauce. "We do trust you, and if you're this embarrassed to tell us about her, then we know she's pretty special."

"She is," Akira said smiling sheepishly at his mom. "And I don't think I love her, Mom. I know I do."

"That's good." Sachiko gave her son another pinch on the cheek and smiled when he pulled away. "Are you going to see her tonight?"

"Ummm..." Akira looked at both his parents, the blood pooling in his face as he faced the point of no return. He and Sadayo had agreed to at least tell them he'd be moving in with her, but that didn't stop his stomach from wanting to vacate itself all over the kitchen island.

"I'll take that as a 'yes,'" chuckled Osamu as he began clearing the dishes.

"Osamu!"

"Oh don't start with me," he laughed as his wife swatted him with her towel. "If this were England he'd probably be in a bar getting drunk with his friends tonight. He's a grown man, and if Eiko were the same age and was dating someone, I'm sure she'd probably do the same thing. He's an adult and if he wants to spend the night with his girlfriend then let him.

"It's not just tonight," Akira said rather quietly, but his words fell on deaf ears as his mother began assaulting his father with swats from her towel.

"What was that?" Sachiko turned away from her husband, a huge smile still on her face as he rubbed the spot on his backside where she'd gotten a particularly good whack.

"I said I'm not just going to be spending tonight with her."

"Oh," Sachiko gave her husband a look, and they both shrugged in compliance. "That's fine, spend two or three days with her. You've got a little time before you start work and school. You two can spend some time reconnecting and enjoying one another's company. It's been a few months since your last trip back there, I'm sure she'd love to see your new apartment."

"That's the thing," Akira rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his parents, praying internally that they wouldn't lose their minds. "I'm not just going to spend one night or two nights with her. I'm going to be spending every night with her. You see, I….I'm….I'm moving in with her, into her apartment."

The only sound throughout the entire house was the sound of the water pouring from the kitchen sink. His father's jaw had clenched shut and his mother looked like she'd been punched in the stomach. It was better than he'd expected but not as good as he'd hoped. He could the beginnings of frustration burn in the back of their eyes as thousands of questions began forming in their brains and at that moment he wished he could take back everything he'd said up to that point.

"You're moving in with her?" Sachiko stared at her son and sighed, her fingers rubbing the side of her head. "I...I...Osamu?"

"I don't…," Osamu raised a hand and then dropped it. His cheeks puffed as he inhaled and let out a low deep exhale. "I mean, you're just about to start college and..."

"And you just said I'm an adult and that you trusted me." Akira felt his hands begin to shake at the sudden hypocrisy. "Why is it any different if I live with her or live by myself?"

"I know what we said," Osamu looked at his son, his eyes trained on his son's hands. "You are an adult, and we do trust you, it's just..."

"It's just what?" Akira looked at his parents. "You don't trust her? You haven't even met her."

"That's part of it," said Sachiko, trying to keep her husband and son calm. "I mean we barely just got over the fact that you won't be living at home anymore and to have this sprung on us, it's a lot to process. Right, Osamu?"

"Sure," sighed Osamu as he rubbed his temples like his wife previously had. "It's a lot to take in, a lot more than I initially thought." Osamu looked at his son, lines of tired brimming around his eyes as he spoke. "I mean you are right about us not fully trusting her. You've been through more than we can comprehend, and we know you can handle yourself..but have you thought about what doing something like this after only a year can do to you?" Osamu looked up at his son and asked, "What happens if you two don't work out? Have you thought about that?"

"I'm gonna move in with Yusuke if things don't work out," shrugged Akira as his parents looked at him once more in disbelief. "What? Did you think I wouldn't have a backup plan? Like you said I've been through worse than not being able to live with my girlfriend."

"Yeah well, that was our fault for thinking Sojiro could keep you out of trouble," chuckled his mother.

"He did a pretty good job once summer came around." That earned the teen a grin from his parents, and he felt himself calm just a bit.

"I'm still gonna have to chew his ass out about that," Osamu grunted. Akira could see his dad begin to relax, but he couldn't help but notice something else was on his dad's mind.

"What's the matter, Dad?"

Osamu shook his head and crossed his arms, eyes locked on his son as he asked, "Does Sojiro know where you'll be staying? I mean he is the one picking you up from the station, so I'm pretty sure he's known about this for a while."

"Yeah," confirmed Akira with a curt nod of his head, "Sojiro knows about...about us. He's known for a while. But," Akira continued when he saw the anger begin to well in his dad's face, "I'm the one that made him promise to keep quiet. So if you're gonna be pissed, be pissed at me for making him lie."

"I'm not pissed at you, Akira," Osamu grumbled as he looked at his son. "I'm just frustrated at the fact that your mother and I are finding out about you are moving in with a woman, neither of us have met three hours before you leave. I mean do we even have an address to find him at in case something happens?"

"I have it and the landline right here," Akira pulled his wallet out and handed his dad a slip of paper. "I was going to give it to you before I left and Mom mailed my boxes there a few weeks ago, so she already had it."

"You already had the address?" Osamu stared down at the slip of paper and studied it for a moment before looking at his wife.

"You knew I had the address," snorted Sachiko as she flicked her husband's forehead. "I asked you if there was anything you wanted me to mail him the day I sent out the packages, and you said you didn't."

"I did?"

Both mother and son groaned at the man's forgetfulness. While Osamu may have been good at his job, there were times when he'd become so engrossed in something that he'd completely forget about any interaction he had with people while doing it.

"You…...," Sachiko looked like she was about to smack her husband but decided against it. Instead, she began finishing up the dishes, hands moving furiously beneath the hot water as she ignored her husband's absent-minded nature. "Yes, I did ask you and a fat lot of good it did me since you didn't even bother to pay attention."

"Well pardon me for having patients to take care of on an almost twenty-four-hour basis."

Akira could hear the annoyance in his father's voice as he and his wife began bickering. It was a common enough argument between his parents that Akira knew that they would burn themselves out quickly. He'd heard them argue enough about how they both became too engrossed in their work to pay attention to the other. After about five minutes they had both tired themselves with their argument and apologized to one another with a few soft kisses.

"Are you two done," Akira groaned when he saw that this might go a little further than he'd have liked.

"Sorry, sweetheart," chuckled Sachiko after one more kiss from her husband.

"I'm not," coughed Osamu as he gave his son an embarrassed smirk. After regaining his composure, Osamu reread the address and asked, "Is this a decent neighborhood?"

"It's pretty nice," said Akira without much thought. "Nothing fancy, but it's safe, and the building is pretty modern, so we don't have much to worry about regarding things like power outages and stuff like that."

"Are you okay with this?" Osamu turned back to his wife who was now putting away the remaining food.

"We don't have much choice in the matter," whispered Sachiko as she shut the fridge. "He's made up his mind and as you said he's an adult. Even if he had moved in with Ryuji he'd eventually move in with her at some point; I just wish you two had been dating longer before deciding this."

"I know," Akira's feet fidgeted at his mother's gaze. "But, we wanted to try, and there's no harm in that, right?"

"It can be a problem." Osamu looked at his son, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Rushing into things like this can have huge ramifications. If this goes badly, and it can, there is no guarantee your relationship will survive."

"So you're telling me I should just not try after months of planning?"

"We're not telling you what to do." It was Sachiko who spoke up, her face as stained as her husband's. "We're asking that you take into consideration all possibilities. Even your father and I had moments when we thought we wouldn't make it after moving in with one another. It's a completely different situation than spending a couple of nights together and then leaving because now you have to go back and face that person."

"We've already had something like that happen on Valentine's Day." Akira could still hear the disappointment in Sadayo's voice as he remembered their conversation. "She already chewed me out for not telling her the truth and leaving her to worry about me for months. I learned my lesson, and I'm not going to do that to her again. If one of us screws up, we promised each other that we'd work through it."

"Some promises can't be kept, no matter how hard you try." Osamu relaxed against the kitchen island, his fingers drumming along his bicep in thought. "But, you've already planned this, you have a place to live, you're both working, and you're going to be miles away, and like your mother said we can't stop you."

Osamu stepped forward and placed a hand on his son's head and ruffled his hair.

"All I can do is wish you good luck and if you need anything don't be afraid to call us. You may be an adult, but we're still your parents."

"I'll keep that in mind." Akira let his dad give him a gentle pat on the cheek and gave his mother a nervous smile. "Are you sure you're not mad?"

"I'm not mad at you or her." Sachiko sighed as she gave her son a strong hug. "Just promise us you'll have her call us as soon as she can, And you better bring her home to meet us!"

"Okay, okay," Akira grunted when he felt his mothers small fist gently punch his stomach. "We were planning on having you meet her when Eiko and I are on summer break, is that okay?"

"That's fine," breathed Osamu as he looked over at the microwave clock and sighed. "Dammit, it's almost time for us to get your sister. Akira go get your bag and find Morgana; we need to get moving."

"Dad," began Akira but his father cut him off with a raise of his hand.

"We'll talk more about this later." Osamu began rummaging through his pockets, making sure he had everything he needed. "What's most important right now is getting you on that train."

"Thanks, Dad," sighed Akira as he walked by his father.

"Don't thank me yet," grunted Osamu after confirming his keys were where he'd left them. "I'm gonna have questions for the two of you when you formally introduce us to her. And I want the truth is that clear?"

"I'll talk to her about it," promised Akira. "She's got some things in her past she might not be comfortable with telling you about, but we'll tell you as much as she's comfortable with."

Nodding, Osamu headed to the door and after putting on his shoes grunted, "You damn well better."


	2. Chapter 2

Onward to chapter 2! I hope you guys like it. Also hey this is gonna be an odd story. Not gonna lie….yeah it's gonna be a long story. And it's not always going to be fun, but it will be fun for the most part! Some weird moments, family awkwardness, some servant cosplay/role-play stuff. You know what I'm getting at. I hope you guys like...also kind of figured something weird out.

The name of the story "Growing Pains."

let's see

Osamu is a stay at home dad/psychiatrist

Sachiko is a white collar working mom (restaurants)

Akira troublemaker son who is smarter than he looks

Eiko (who you will be introduced to soon. So if you haven't read Winter Troubles she makes her appearance here) is a star student and athlete.

Morgana is the smart ass and mischievous little brother type character

and Ryuji is the dumb-ass best friend.

I unintentionally turned them into the Seavers from the show "Growing Pains", without realizing it…..WTF?!

ENJOY!

Chapter 2

"I hate this," muttered Morgana from inside his carrier. "Why the hell can't I ride in your bag like I usually do? This is demeaning!"

"Settle down," whispered Akira as he and his family walked through the train station. "It's the only way I could get you on the train. Granted it'll cost me an extra ticket to get you a seat, but it won't be for long. We'll be in Tokyo in a few hours, and you can have full run of the apartment when we get there. I'll even buy you something special for dinner."

"Do you mean it?!" Morgana began moving so violently that Akira could barely hold onto the cat. "If that's the case I want some fatty tuna! It's been months since I had some and I think I've earned it after letting you sister use me like a doll while in the car."

"Yes you have," chuckled Akira as the remembered what Eiko had subjected the cat too.

Ever since he'd come home Akira's sister, Eiko had taken to treating the cat like he was a doll. While Eiko had avoided dressing the cat in clothes, she had bought Morgana a rather impressive set of what she called "dress collars," as well as a series of ribbons and scarves she occasionally dressed him in. While Morgana wasn't fond of her dressing him up, Akira had found it hilarious, but spared the cat further humiliation by not letting the others know about his alternate outfits, and made up for it by spoiling the cat as often as he could.

"So, fatty tuna," inquired Morgana as the bell on Eiko's farewell collar jingled quietly.

"If we can find a place that's open, yes." Akira pulled a cat treat from the small bag he had in his pocket and tossed a couple into the crate. "So long as you behave yourself until we're in Sojiro's car."

"Sounds like a plan," confirmed Morgana through a mouthful of cat treats.

"Talking to the cat again big brother?"

Shifting his focus, Akira turned his head to see a face, not too dissimilar to his own, but more round with softer features. The owner was only a couple inches shorter than him, with longer hair and a much more pronounced musculature. Like most students at her school, Eiko was dressed in a dark blue skirt, with a white dress shirt and tie, and her hair was pulled up into a tight bun while her school bag slung over her shoulder in a Ryuji type fashion.

Of every person he'd left behind, Eiko was the one Akira had missed the most.

Even though she was three years younger than him, Eiko had been the one person outside of his friends, and most importantly, Sadayo, with which Akira had the most solid bond. They'd been inseparable as kids, despite the age gap, and she'd always been his best friend up until he'd been sent away. Unlike his parents, Eiko had maintained at least some amount of contact with him but not as much he was used to. She'd always been more popular than him, and he knew she was being scouted for academics as well as her talent on the swim team, so Akira had chalked up their lack of communication to her not wanting to ruin her prospects, and he couldn't blame her. He'd been lucky enough to get the recommendations for his partial grants for college thanks to a few sympathetic teachers, but Eiko had options and still had high school to get through so it was only natural she'd distance herself from him.

Regardless of their rift, Akira still did his best to talk to her every day to see if she'd needed help or if she was doing okay. However, like most people their age, she was back late from some club or team event and after dinner could barely muster the strength to even talk to him. Even on those rare occasions, he could get her to hang out with him, Akira felt a similar discomfort to the one he'd had when he and Sadayo had told their friends about their relationship. So after another failed sibling outing, he stopped asking all together and retreated into his thoughts and his phone.

But with him finally leaving, Akira couldn't avoid her or his parents and figured one last attempt was worth a shot and with a smirk nodded at his sister's inquiry.

"Yeah," he chuckled looking down at an annoyed Morgana, "I don't think he likes the new collar very much."

"It's not the collar I hate," mumbled the cat as he curled up into a ball, "it's the color."

Unaware of the cat's complaints, Eiko gave her brother a sheepish smile and said, "I just figured he'd need to impress a cute girl when you get back to Tokyo. He's a pretty handsome cat, so he needs something to compliment his looks."

"I've coughed up hairballs that...oy!"

Akira gave the carrier a quick twitch as a signal to shut the cat up, and after several small curses, the cat finally grew quiet while the former thief said, "I don't know about that, but I'm sure if he could understand you he'd appreciate the gesture."

Morgana gave a small huff that sounded more like a retch as Eiko said, "Make sure you give him some water soon, I think his throat's dry."

"I'll give him some once we get on the train," answered Akira while he and his sister approached the ticket counter where his parents were paying for his passage despite his previous protests.

"I'm going to miss you." Eiko set her bag down on the ground and blocked her brother's view of his parents; a feeling of regret seemed to pour out of her. "I know, I've been a bit cold toward you for a while, and I'm sorry, but you're still my brother and my best friend, despite my being a bit of a bitch for the past year."

"You haven't been a bitch," chuckled Akira, a bit uncomfortable with using that word to describe his sister. "You're grown up, and getting your own life is part of it."

"That's true," replied the young girl looking suddenly downtrodden. "No matter how much you try and keep things the same, you can't stop change."

"No, you can't." Akira tried to give her his best smile and felt a small pain in his chest. "But for the record, you're my best friend in addition to Ryuji. I'm not going to leave you behind just because he and I hang out more."

"I know." Eiko's attitude seemed to perk up at this bit of obvious news. "And since we're still best friends your dumb ass better remember to call me."

"Well you know that's going to be a two-way street," Akira joked giving her a gentle punch on the shoulder. "I'm not going to be able to come to any of your events, so I'm going to need you to keep me posted on how well you're doing."

"Why can't you check the school website like a normal person," groaned Eiko as she saw their parent's approaching. "Or better yet, have these two psychos tell you all about it. They're going to be at enough of them so why can't you ask them?"

"Ask us what?" Sachiko was looking rather distraught at her daughter's attitude and sighed. "Eiko, please stand up straight, you're going to give yourself back problems, and you know what happens when you have back problems."

"I'll be fine," grumbled Eiko at her mother's pestering. "I haven't had any back issues for a long time, and I got a clean bill of health from my medical exam."

Despite his sister's protest, Akira couldn't help but notice how Eiko straightened up just a bit after her mother complained about his sister's posture.

"Sachiko, will you stop fretting over them," Osamu groaned as he watched his wife fuss over their children.

"Like you're one to talk," snipped Sachiko as she made sure Morgana was secure in his carrier. "If I remember right, you were up until almost two making sure the trains were going to be leaving on time."

"That's not the point!" Osamu's face burned a bright red at his wife's jest. "The point is that he has a train to get on and Eiko keeps up with her training regimens so quit fretting, or you're going to stress them out even more not to mention you're going to stress yourself out, and my wrist can't handle giving you a neck rub right now."

"Smooth Dad." Eiko stepped away from her mother and over to her father. "So much for getting lucky later, eh?"

"Eiko!" Osamu gave his daughter a gentle smack on the head which made her giggle. "What the hell kind of a question is that to ask your father?!"

"It's called a joke, Dad!" Eiko rubbed the slowly forming lump on the back of her head and groaned. "God, it's not like it's a secret that you guys do stuff like that. If you didn't, he and I wouldn't exist."

"What is wrong with this family," sighed Osamu as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I swear your mother and I did not raise you two to ask questions like that of people, let alone your parents."

"That's true," agreed Akira as he took his train ticket from his mother, "but you did raise us to be honest and curious, so maybe it's just karma coming back to bite you in the ass?"

"Says the guy who spent a year sneaking around Tokyo and getting into trouble." Sachiko gave her son another hard pinch on the cheek. "I swear if you get into any more trouble like that your Father and I will disown you for sure!"

"We'ax 'om," grunted Akira as his mom pulled on his cheek.

"I will not until you promise me you won't get into any more trouble."

"Ah 'om ish," answered Akira and finally, his mother let go of his cheek. He felt like his cheek had swollen and rubbed his cheek. "Damn, that's getting old."

"But it's effective," chuckled Sachiko as she gave his good cheek a small pat. "And watch your language, young man.

"It's the last time I'm going to let you do that," muttered Akira as he took a look at his phone. "Jeez, it's already that late?"

"What are you talking about 'late'? It's not even four; you still got time. Also," Eiko looked at her brother with a raised eyebrow, "where the hell did you learn that word? You never said it until you came back from Tokyo. Is that some sort of Phan..."

"Eiko!" Sachiko raised a finger to her lips; silencing her daughter. "You know that as part of the court agreement that we and anyone else involved are not supposed to speak about that, at least not in public."

"Yeah, yeah." Eiko rubbed the welt from where her father had hit and growled. "Still kind of find it stupid that we can't talk about stuff like that. I'm pretty sure someone's already leaked it to the public, hell from what I heard a few people were talking about some interview some Shogi player gave in his defense."

"How'd they hear about that?" This was the first time Akira had heard anyone mention anything about Hifumi's interview from back when he had been incarcerated.

"I heard about it from some people at school who were in Tokyo at the time you were locked up. They heard some rumors about some kid from Shujin that got locked up, and they just started making assumptions." Eiko gave her brother a nervous shrug and shook her head. "Assholes need to learn how to get their facts straight before running off at the mouth."

"Well, they weren't wrong," Akira said with a sag of his shoulders. "I mean it was me the interview was about, and I'm pretty sure my name got dragged into it, so they had some of their facts straight." Akira shook his head and looked around, glad to see he didn't see anyone familiar. "Thank god for that court agreement sweeping everything under the rug. I don't even want to think what would have happened if everyone knew the truth."

"Not to mention all that hard work your friends did to help get you out," Osamu chuckled as he cleaned his glasses. "You better make sure you pay them back as soon as you can for risking their necks."

"I know," chuckled Akira after feeling his phone vibrate. When he saw Sojiro's number, and the time he coughed nervously and said, "It's almost time for me to board. You guys want to walk me to the platform?

All of the Kurusus grew silent but nodded all the same, and their small procession made its way toward the platform, on what Akira hoped was the same train Sadayo had taken back six months ago. When they reached the door, he turned around and hugged each member of his family.

"You take care of yourself," whispered Osamu as he clapped his son on the back. "And you two make sure you talk things through and don't do anything stupid."

"I'll keep that in mind," chuckled Akira before moving onto his mother. Her short but powerful arms squeezed him tightly against her small, plump frame and Akira felt all the air leave his body.

"Mom, I can't breathe."

"Good," giggled Sachiko as she relaxed her arms. "Then I can keep you home for a bit longer."

"I gotta go some time, Mom." Akira felt his heart grow heavy when he felt the beginnings of her tears on his shirt. "Mom, don't do that, please."

"Sachiko," Osamu stepped forward and carefully removed his wife's arms from her son. "I know it's hard, but he has to go. He'll be back soon."

"Yeah," Akira gave his mom a small kiss on her forehead, "I'll be back in a few months for summer break with plenty of surprises."

"You're damn right you will." Sachiko sniffed as she wiped her eyes. "You better bring back that surprise you promised, or I'll kick your ass."

"You're going to do that regardless," snorted Eiko as she took her turn, shaking her brother as she hugged him. "Tell everyone 'hi' for me."

"I will." Akira gave his sister a gentle pat on the back before shaking her in turn. "Don't grow up too much on me."

"No promises," laughed Eiko as they separated. Reaching into her pocket, she removed a small slip of paper, her face flushed red with embarrassment as she as asked, "Umm, can you maybe look for these items in Akihabara for me? I've found them online but the shipping is outrageous, and if you can pick these up and mail them back to me, I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

Opening up the paper, Akira saw a list concerning several albums and magazines involving a series of idols that his sister had a particular fondness written in his sister's tidy scrawl. Smiling, Akira nodded and said, "I'm sure Futaba can help me find some of these. She's got a nose for this kind of stuff."

"Thanks." Eiko hesitated for a moment, before finally throwing her arms around her brother's neck and pulled him into another tight hug. "I'm gonna miss you, big brother."

"I'll be back before you know it, little sister." Giving her one more pat, the two separated and Akira could see his mother was crying in full force. Finding it difficult to resist, Akira gave his parents one more strong hug before picking Morgana and his bag up off the ground and boarded the train. Grabbing his seat, he looked out the window and waved at them, all of them waving back as the train signaled its departure.

As the train pulled out, he heard his family shout muffled words at him and smiled at them before the train sped off toward the city.

Settling into his seat, Akira opened up his phone and saw that Sojiro had messaged him saying that he may be a few minutes late. Sending back a reply, Akira stared out the window as the sea passed him by; his thoughts on what was waiting for him when he got back to Tokyo. He'd already told Sojiro where he needed to go back in February, and Akira couldn't wait to get there.

Despite the apartment being his new home, it would only be the fourth time he'd been to Tokyo since he'd left. Even with the shared knowledge between Sojiro and the rest of the Phantoms of his and Sadayo's relationship, things hadn't improved much

While Akira had spent all of his visits to the apartment, he and Sadayo hadn't been able to spend many evenings out during these respites. The new principal had taken a liking to Sadayo and had been giving her projects that his girlfriend attacked with an anxious fervor. Akira didn't mind as it gave him a chance to get used to the apartment and by the end of his first visit, he was well acquainted with their home and the building.

Several of the neighbors knew him by sight within a few days, and he'd even learned a some of their names, and as Sadayo had been at her old building, Akira soon become well-liked thanks to him occasionally helped out the neighbors with problems. He'd even, on occasion, helped with keeping an eye on a couple of kids if their parents were running late. Even the kindly old landlady asked him for help and dropped off the occasional baked treat for him and Sadayo as she did with her other favorite tenants.

Akira had a suspicion that the landlady knew about their age gap but she never said anything about it. The old woman was forgiving so long as people were respectful to one another and the other tenants kept their apartments clean and paid their bills on time. The first time they'd met, it came as a considerable relief to Akira when the woman smiled at him and commented to Sadayo how cute he was and that the teacher had better be careful or the landlady would marry him herself. This comment had Sadayo blushing furiously and pushing Akira out the building's front door while the young man laughed at his girlfriend's embarrassment.

Smiling to himself at the memory, Akira looked into Morgana's carrier to see if the cat needed anything only to find him on his back with his paws crossed over his chest, snoring quietly. Shaking his head, Akira pulled his laptop out, plugged into his headphones and allowed himself to be swallowed up by a movie as the train sped along.

Finally, after three hours and at least four stops, the train finally pulled into a familiar station and doing his best not to wake Mona, Akira exited the train to find an orange haired girl and a surly looking man waiting for him.

"AKIRA," shouted Futaba as she rushed forward, nearly tackling him as she hugged her surrogate big brother.

"What the hell," shouted Mona as the carrier was nearly knocked out of Akira's hand. "Did we crash!?"

"Sorry, Mona," answered the shorter girl as she finished her bone-breaking hug. Pulling back, Futaba brushed her hair out of her face and spun for Akira showing off her new high-school uniform. "Looks pretty good on me don't ya think?"

"You look great," chuckled Akira as he patted Futaba gently on her head. "Congratulations."

"Well, it wasn't that difficult." Futaba chuckled as she took Mona's carrier and began petting the cat through the gaps in the door. "I mean, once I got used to having to go every day, school became a breeze. There was even talk of me getting moved ahead a year, but I said no for Kana's sake. I figured it'd make things easier for her, but also because I didn't want to get bullied again."

"That hasn't been happening has it?" Akira had been worried about Futaba starting school ever since she said she wanted to go back. Even though she'd overcome her fear of crowds and the outdoors, her mannerisms and lack of social skills had been something the group worried over constantly. Even with Sadayo looking out for her, the chance Futaba might get harassed out of earshot from the teachers was always a possibility.

"Not really," hummed the girl as she gingerly kicked up her feet as they walked. "Sadayo-san's pretty good about making sure I'm okay, and the new principal has been cracking down on the teachers for what happened in regards to the old regime. So, the school's almost unrecognizable and the friends I made there have been supportive, though Sojiro has been making sure I go see a therapist Doc Takemi recommended."

"Is it helping?" Futaba's words were welcomed news to Akira and based on her tone; he knew that whoever was helping Futaba had to be a calm and patient person.

"Kind of." Futaba gently spun with the carrier making Mona yowl in fear. "Sorry, kitty. I've got some treats in the car for you to make up for it."

"Good," answered Morgana sounding as if he was about to vomit. "But how can a therapist be 'kind of' helping you? I thought they either did or didn't."

"I just started going to see him," huffed the girl as she poked the cat gently on the nose through the bars of the crate. "I've only had four sessions, but he seems nice so far, and Sojiro waits in the front office to make sure I'm safe. Though the doctor keeps telling him, that he's a little too overprotective."

"I resent that," chuckled the older man as he blew out a huge puff of smoke. "With what I'm paying that guy, you'd think he'd be a bit more respectful to a concerned father given everything you've been through."

"I appreciate you doing it though," Futaba said happily, just as her stomach began growling. "I'd appreciate you even more if we could hurry this up and get some food in me."

"We still have to drop him off, Futaba," replied Sojiro with a nod at Akira. "So settle down, or you can go home and cook for yourself."

"Works for me." Futaba lifted the cat carrier up and gently sang, "Would like to try some of my new recipes, Morgana?"

"Not after the last time," whimpered the cat as he backed deeper into the mobile cage. "I had stomach problems for a week after you fed me that strange fish concoction."

"Hoo boy," chuckled Sojiro as Futaba and Morgana began quietly arguing over the girl's cooking skills, "they're going to be at it for awhile."

"Yeah they are," grinned Akira before sticking his hand out to his former guardian. "Thanks for coming to get me, Sojiro."

"Don't worry about it kid." Sojiro clasped Akira's hand and squeezed it. "It's good to have you home."

Akira grinned and returned the squeeze before falling into step with Sojiro as they followed Futaba who had taken to spinning slowly as she walked.

"So she's doing okay," inquired the older teen as the exited the platform.

"She's doing incredible," sighed Sojiro with satisfaction. "She's acing her classes, not that I'm surprised. She's just like her mother and has a few friends outside of you guys which is good for her. No to mention that Kawakami-san is doing me a favor by at least keeping an extra eye on her when she can, though with how busy she is lately I'm surprised she's able to do that much."

"Yeah," Akira took a deep breath and stared ahead at a smiling Futaba and felt a swell of pride that his girlfriend had been able to do as much as she could for his other little sister. "She certainly defies expectations."

"Especially when it comes to falling for some pain in the ass like you," teased Sojiro as they exited the station and headed toward the parking structure.

"Gee, thanks," replied Akira with another roll of his eyes. "You know at least I've been able to hold onto someone. When was the last time you went on a date, old man?"

"My love life is none of your concern," huffed Sojiro as they headed toward the car.

"It's been over a year," said Futaba rather loudly after before sticking her tongue out at a glaring Sojiro.

"You know what," snipped Sojiro as he opened the trunk of the car, "you two can walk to the apartment if that's how you're going to treat me. I don't have to drive you two anywhere, nor do I have to feed you."

"If you want us to walk, then why did you open the trunk," teased Futaba as she headed for the front seat.

"Force of habit," countered Sojiro though there was a hint of a waver in his voice.

"Sure there was, Dad," chuckled Futaba while Akira loaded his bag into the car.

"You two are just lucky I have a soft heart," Sojiro said with all the commitment of an elementary school actor. When both teens began laughing, he flicked Akira on the forehead and grumbled, "Just shut up and get in the car already. I've wasted enough of my day waiting for you."

The streets for once were reasonably free of traffic, though it being Tokyo during post rush hour there were still the occasional congested spots. As they drove, Sojiro began catching Akira up on what was going on in regards to the shop.

According to Sojiro, LeBlanc had seen an increase in business thanks to the rumors that it was somehow connected to the Phantom Thieves. Not to mention the fact that since Haru had started working there, several younger men had been going to the shop more frequently, which made Sojiro both irked and happy. He was delighted because the cafe had been busier than it ever had been, which gave Sojiro a steadier stream of cash to support Futaba. The irked was because a few of the young men had begun spending a little too much time in the cafe than he would have liked, talking to Futaba and Haru.

"I can take care of myself, Sojiro," grumbled Futaba as they came to a red light. She knew how annoyed he'd been lately, and was getting tired of it. "Not to mention that I go home with you every night and Haru has her driver-slash-bodyguard who can kick all their asses without batting an eye. Seriously, that lady is like some sick cross between Wonder Woman and the Major."

"Do you have any idea what she's talking about," asked Sojiro while looking at Akira through the rear-view mirror.

"They're two powerful female superheroes," chuckled Akira as they drove by the arcade and made a mental note to call Shinya when he got the chance.

"Ah," Sojiro nodded and stamped out his cigarette. "Well, that makes sense given your hobbies. Just make sure it isn't anything like those pictures I saw you and Yusuke 'researching'."

"It was research," answered Futaba practically shouting. "Some girls from his school asked him to draw stuff like that and..."

"And what the hell are you doing even knowing where to find those kinds of pictures," countered Sojiro as they turned onto a practically empty street.

"It's called the internet, Sojiro." Futaba huffed as she stared out the window. "Most of the time you don't even need to look for it. If you're on a message board, people will find a way to bring it to you."

"I don't care how you found it," snorted Sojiro before pointing his thumb back at Akira. "It's bad enough his mother and father called me and chewed me out because I knew about him moving in with Kawakami, I don't need the school getting on my ass about you bringing inappropriate materials to class."

"My parents called you," asked Akira, both amused and frightened at what Sojiro would do to him.

"They called me the moment they got home after dropping you off," Sojiro growled as he lit up another cigarette. "Last time you father and I got into an argument like that was when I got drunk and...well...I'd rather not say."

"What'd you do," snickered Futaba as they finally came to the garage of Akira's new apartment, "hit on Sachiko-san or something?"

"No!" Sojiro gave Futaba a shocked look and shook his head. "What the hell is it with you lately, Futaba?"

"Hormones," offered up Akira as he waited for Sojiro to park.

"Is it hormones that lead you to…," Sojiro gestured at the garage, indicating Akira's decision to move-in with his former teacher."Because if that's what it was, I'll always have room for you when the hormones wear off."

"I already have a backup plan, but I appreciate the offer," laughed Akira as he stepped out of the car and waited for Sojiro to open the trunk.

"Well the offer stands," grunted the older man as he walked around back and let Akira retrieve his bags. "I like her, but even so, things happen, and if they end on a bad note, I'll help you out."

"Thanks, Sojiro." Akira retook the man's hand and squeezed it. "I mean it. If you need me and if I have the time I'll help out, just like the old days."

"Your life is going to be busy enough as it is," grinned Sojiro. "But I appreciate the gesture. Just take care of yourself and be sure to visit the shop. We may be busier, but I miss having you idiots around, that goes for you as well Mona."

"Thanks," grumbled the cat as he scratched his ear. "Akira can we please head upstairs now? I'm getting cramped."

"Zip it, Kitty," hissed Futaba after Sojiro and Akira broke their shake. "This important bonding time between master and apprentice."

"I don't know about us being master and apprentice," laughed Sojiro as he rubbed the back of his head. "That honor goes to his mother. But, I can't deny he's improved given how good his coffee and curry were the last time he visited."

"I've gotten even better," smirked Akira with a wink at Futaba. "Mom's been teaching me some of her tricks."

"Then invite us over soon," squeaked Futaba at the prospect of another home-cooked meal made by Akira and Sadayo. "You and Sadayo-san make some interesting stuff, and I wanna see if she's gotten better at cooking too."

"I'll talk to her about it," chuckled Akira as he rubbed Futaba's hair. "Just give us a bit to get settled."

"Settled, right," snickered Futaba with a lecherous grin. "Just make sure you clean the furniture before we..."

"Futaba!" Sojiro gave Futaba a gentle bop on the head, cutting the girl off. "Will you cut it out and act like you have some manners. Your mother and I raised you better than that."

"Oh like you're any better," snipped Futaba. "I heard you talking to him about how many girls you used to date. You're an even bigger perv than me."

"That's not the point," coughed Sojiro with a small blush. "Besides, you know I've stopped doing things like that."

"Still doesn't change the fact that you gloat about it when you get the chance." Futaba stuck her tongue out at her adoptive father and crossed her arms. "Can't blame me for being an occasional perv when my dad is one almost daily. I've seen your internet history," she added before Sojiro could contradict her. "Given how many times you've asked me for help with malware, I had no choice, and even I've never heard of some of the things you watch."

"Just….get in the car." Sojiro's face was now so red that he could do little more than nod at Akira before slamming his door shut.

"Is his computer really that bad," asked Akira as Futaba grinned triumphantly.

"Oh yeah," chuckled the hacker as she turned back to her surrogate brother. "But he has been working on not being so much of a pig lately. Still, I find it hard to resist mocking him about it."

"I can understand the temptation." Akira gave Futaba a quick smile before opening his arms.

She walked into them willingly and squeezed him tightly and tried in vain to lift him off the ground as she grunted, "Welcome home, Akira!"

"It's good to be back," he laughed as she let go of him, his ribs felt like they were about ready to cave in after that hug. Upon regaining his freedom, Akira gave her one last pat on the head and pointed at the car. "You might want to get in there before he leaves you behind."

"Yeah," hummed Futaba as she gave Akira a wink. "I'd hate to interrupt your homecoming, emphasis on the…"

"Futaba! Let's go," roared Sojiro from the driver's side.

"Fine," shouted back the small girl before one final hug. "I'll talk to you soon, Akira! Tell Sadayo-san I said 'hi.'"

Akira said he would and waved them off before walking into the elevator. Their apartment was on the fourth floor, but Akira had to stop by the landlord's office beforehand since Sadayo only had the only key and she'd said the landlady was supposed to have the spare made before he arrived.

When the elevator dinged for the first floor, Akira heard Mona mumble something about needing to pee, and the human whispered, "It'll only be a few more minutes, and then you can destroy the apartment as much as you want."

"I also demand sushi later."

Akira rolled his eyes and rapped his knuckles against the old woman's door and heard her voice from the other side.

"One moment, one moment." There was a slight creak of the voice, almost like a squeaky hinge, but it was inviting, and when he saw her Akira felt his heart warm at the sight of her smile.

Hosokawa Fujiko was an older woman nearing her mid-seventies but was quite lively. She owned several buildings throughout the city and despite her advanced age rarely had the attitude most people associated with older people. In fact, if Akira had to place a personality on her, she reminded him and Sadayo of Akane most of all. She was blunt, like many octogenarians, but there was always the air that she cared about you and her trust in others and genuine concern for her tenants made those who lived in her buildings work hard to never betray her confidence. Which meant that if she smiled at you, it usually said you had nothing to be afraid of.

"Akira-kun!" The old woman extended her hand, taking his and bowing. "Well, now I thought you wouldn't be in until the fourth."

"It is the fourth, Fujiko-san." Like his father, Fujiko had a slight tendency to forget essential dates, and he chuckled when he saw her rub her eyes and check the calendar on the wall before checking her watch.

"By heavens it is," sighed the old woman as she shook her head. "My apologies dear, the date slipped my mind, and I forgot to have your key made. I can take you up however and let you get settled in if you'd like, Sadayo-san should be home. Or I can watch your kitty and bag if you'd prefer to go out for a while."

"Oh, well if it's not too much of a bother can you let me in," asked Akira politely. "I hadn't planned on going out, and if you can let me in, that would be most helpful."

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience dear," sighed the woman as she got on a pair of worn slippers and an old robe. While the woman wasn't in horrible shape, the size of the robe made it looked like she had a slight hunch to her back. After locking up, she looked into the cage and smiled at the cat saying, "This must be Morgana."

Akira looked down at the small cage and chuckled at the woman's comment.

"Yeah, this is Morgana. He's a bit cranky right now, but he'll be fine once we get upstairs. Oh, that reminds me," Akira reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope that held the check he'd filled out for Morgana. "The deposit for him."

"Such a responsible young man." Fujiko took the envelope and gingerly placed it in her robe's pocket. "Although given your past visits I shouldn't be surprised. I could tell Sadayo-chan was a good tenant the moment I interviewed her and with how helpful you've been I knew I made a good choice in renting to her."

"She appreciates it," Akira remembered when he first visited the apartment and Fujiko had come to drop something off for Sadayo. The old woman had been taken aback at first when she saw Akira lounging on the carpet in the middle of the living room, but she'd adjusted quickly enough and raised little fuss.

"I'm sure she does." Fujiko winked at him just as the doors to the elevator opened. "You two are such an adorable couple; I'd be a fool to separate the two of you."

"We both appreciate it," chuckled Akira nervously. Despite her old body, somewhat forgetful manner, and salt and pepper hair, Fujiko was more aware than most people gave her credit.

"Just make sure you two don't get into any shouting matches and keep Morgana under control. If you do that, we'll have no problems."

There wasn't a threat behind her words, but Akira wasn't foolish enough to test her patience.

"Keep talking about me like I'm some common stray and I'll..."

Akira shook the cage slightly again, quieting the cat.

When they reached the door to apartment four-one-one-four, Fujiko let him in and laughed when Akira let Morgana out, the cat immediately running around the apartment making noises of jubilation at being freed.

"He'll quiet down," said Akira reassuringly. "He's just tired of being cooped up for most of the afternoon."

"As long as he doesn't bother the neighbors I have no problem with him." Fujiko gave Akira a gentle pat on the arm and called out, "Kawakami-san? It's me Fujiko-san!"

There was no response, and the woman gave Akira a perplexed look.

"That's odd; usually she's home by this time on Saturdays. Have you heard from her today?"

"Not since this morning." Akira was well aware of Sadayo's rules about texting her during work, and after they had their morning conversation, he hadn't heard anything from her since. It was unusual, but not unheard of for her to do that so Akira hadn't worried about it. "She's probably busy at work. The new principal has been giving her a bit more responsibility recently so she may have gotten caught up in something."

"Good for her!" Fujiko visibly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad she's making some progress with her career. Please tell her that I expect her for tea sometime this week. She's had to cancel on me twice the past few months, and my other guests are a bit worried."

"I'll remind her," smiled Akira with a small bow. "Thank you for letting me in."

"You're most welcome." Fujiko returned the bow and smiled up at him. "I'll bring the key by tomorrow around noon. If you aren't home, I'll put it in your mailbox. Have a good night, dear and get some rest. You, young people, need it these days."

Wishing her a good night, Akira sighed and stepped into the apartment. His first stop was the closet where he deposited his shoes and then his jackets from his bag. Shutting the closet door, Akira took a few deep breaths to calm himself. The feeling that he'd be waking up and not having to leave in the morning was settling in, and Akira could feel his hands shake with both excitement and nervousness and he didn't know whether to laugh or run out the front door.

Rubbing his eyes, Akira picked up his bag and headed into the living room where Morgana was getting acquainted with his new cat tower. Akira had ordered it the last time he was in town, and he and Sadayo had spent an afternoon putting it together, complete with the occasional swearing at one another and sullen looks.

"This is awesome," mewed Morgana excited from the top part that functioned as a makeshift apartment Akira and Sadayo had furnished with a blanket, small pillow, and a water dish. "I have my room now!"

"Yeah you do," Akira reached up and scratched the cat's ears before picking him up.

"Hey!" Mona fidgeted in Akira's arms and turned digging his claws into his friend's shoulders. "You know I don't like being picked up without warning!"

"Sorry about that, Mona," hissed Akira as he felt the needle points sink into his skin. "I have something else I want to show you, something I think you'll love."

Akira took the cat into the kitchen and placed him on the floor in front of two dishes with two large containers on top of each, one filled with high-end dry cat food and the other with a water filter.

"What's this?" Mona stepped forward and sniffed at the bowl for food and jumped when he saw it beep and drop a small amount of food.

"I get to feed myself," Mona excitedly looking between Akira and the bowl, almost drooling.

"Sometimes," chuckled Akira patting the cats head as he ate. "It drops a small amount each time, but if you abuse it, we're going to shut it off and go back to feeding you ourselves."

"I'll do my best," belched Mona after devouring the food. "Thanks for getting me this stuff."

"Just be good." Akira scratched Mona's cheek and chuckled when he heard the cat's purr. "That's the best way you can show your appreciation. I was fine with feeding you myself, but Sadayo wanted you to have something nice, so don't cause her any trouble and be sure to show her your appreciation."

"I won't and I will." Mona hopped up onto the counter and scratched his ear. "Thief's honor. I'll make sure to repay my debt to her."

"I'll hold you to it," sighed Akira as he stared around the room; taking in their belongings.

While the apartment couldn't hold a candle to his parent's house, it was a great deal more significant than the one Sadayo had moved out of.

Even though her original one was tiny, Sadayo preferred to call her old apartment cozy, Akira had noticed it was barely larger than his room at Leblanc. The kitchen and living room were primarily the same room leaving Sadayo with hardly any room for furniture. While there was a small love seat that she'd used to do work on, there wasn't much else save for a little television stand, a tv, standing lamp, and kotatsu where they'd eaten their dinner and a couple of small bookshelves. The bathroom was thankfully fully equipped, but that left barely any room for her bedroom that had comprised of a futon, dresser, and a small closet.

Akira hadn't disliked the apartment given Sadayo's economic situation. It wasn't in a horrible location and was reasonably priced, but the moment Akira saw her new building, he'd felt many of his worries dissipate.

Sadayo had been tight-lipped about the new apartment, so much so that she'd handled nearly everything herself and hadn't let their friends over until Akira had at least spent a whole visit there alone with her.

The love seat still occupied the living room, but there was now also a full-sized couch Sadayo had gotten second-hand and cleaned herself. The kotatsu was there as well since there wasn't a dining room, and all group gatherings took place there. But even without a dining room, there was a small table with two chairs in the kitchen next to the window that looked over the cityscape that he and Sadayo ate their meals. Like the couch, most of the furniture in the apartment was second-hand. Sadayo had scoured the newspapers for ads and thrift shops for the furniture and cleaned every piece herself, and Akira had spent his entire first visit doing every bit of housework for her to show his appreciation.

The only belongings in the apartment that weren't second hand were the flat screen television in the living room, the appliances, and their bed.

True to his word, Akira hadn't stayed the night at the old apartment, so he'd never had to sleep on her old futon, and he was glad. During one his first visit to the apartment, he and Makoto had dropped it off at a disposal site, and Akira was amazed that Sadayo could still walk with how lumpy it was and made sure to give her a massage once he got back to the apartment, followed shortly by them breaking in their new bed

While lost in his thoughts of that afternoon they spent in bed, Akira was brought back to reality by the sudden ringing of the house phone. Both he and Morgana stared out at the small side table that held the house phone and stared back at each other. Neither of them knew what to do until the voicemail clicked on and Akira heard Sadayo's tired voice.

"Hey, it's me. I'm sorry I haven't' talked to you since this morning. I've been swamped and if you're there can you..."

"I'm here," Akira said, relieved that she was okay.

"Oh thank god," she sighed in celebration. "I am so sorry I've been quiet all day. I forgot my charger at home, and since most of the teachers changed to the latest model, so none of them have the old charging ports, and I haven't been able to get to a phone until now..."

"Slow down," laughed Akira as he heard begin to breathe hard. "It's okay, I was a bit worried, but I'm glad to hear you're safe. It sounds like you've had a hell of a day."

"You have no idea." Sadayo hadn't sounded this tired since she was a maid and Akira wished he could reach into the phone and pull her home. "Between finalizing all my lessons for the next several months and suddenly getting dumped with planning this welcome party for the new gym teacher for tonight, I won't be home until late."

"Oh," Akira was grateful that the phone was so close to the couch as he felt his knees suddenly go weak. They'd planned on her being home and them having a night in, eating take-out but those plans had just gone up in flames.

"I'm sorry," she groaned as the sounds of shouting people filled the receiver. "I got saddled with this first thing this morning, and all that was available was a karaoke bar, and I'm standing in the lobby right now using their phone. It's a little embarrassing."

"You haven't had anything to drink yet have you," chuckled Akira as he settled on the couch. "If you do, just make sure you limit yourself. We don't want you undressing in front of your co-workers."

"Stop," laughed Sadayo as she remembered the last time they had the rest of the Phantoms over. She and Makoto had a few too many which meant Akira and Yusuke had to stop Sadayo and Makoto from taking off removing some of their clothes to avoid overheating. "You know that was just a one-time thing, and I've been good since then."

"I know you have." Akira could still remember the look on her face the morning after. She'd been so embarrassed that she'd started limiting herself to only three drinks from then on and had followed through since. "If you do drink tonight, do I need to come and get you?"

"I'm not drinking," she answered as someone called for her. Sadayo shouted back that she'd be joining them momentarily before returning her attention to her boyfriend. "I'm going to try and get out of here as soon as possible. There's not much in the fridge, I was planning on going shopping this afternoon despite our take-out plan, but as I just told you..."

"It's fine." Akira was still disappointed, but there wasn't much he could do by complaining. "I'll figure something out. I'll probably just order something in like we planned since Fujiko-san forgot to get my key made this morning and finish putting away what's in my bag."

"Does he like them?"

Akira knew precisely what she was referring to and couldn't help but smile. Sadayo had been obsessing over the cat's reaction to his food containers and cat house, and Akira found it insanely cute.

"He's completely enthralled," replied the teen as he watched Morgana begin creating a nest with the blanket.

"Damn right I am!" Morgana popped his head out of his house and grinned as much as he could in his cat body. "Tell her thanks for me and make sure if you order sushi to get me some fatty tuna!"

"I'm so glad," sighed Sadayo as a voice came from the other end asking her if she could hurry up. "I'm sorry," she apologized before turning her attention back to Akira. "Listen, I gotta go. I'll try to be back soon, can you try and stay up for me? I want to see you."

"I'll try," coughed Akira as he rubbed some sleep from his eyes. "It's been a long day, and I'm not going anywhere so there's a good chance I'll stay up."

"That's all I ask."

Akira could hear the smile in her voice, and he wished that she was sitting on the couch next to him. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it was a damn sight better than the one from LeBlanc's attic. Akira remembered the first time they'd made out on it, thankful that they didn't have to contort into awkward positions for once, which made the experience that much more enjoyable.

"Are you still there, Aki-kun?"

"I'm here," he said with a small yawn. "I just remembered the first time we made out on the couch."

"Okay," chuckled Sadayo and he could tell he caught her interest. "I hate to leave you with your fantasies, but I do have to go, but we can experiment with that when I get home. I love you Aki-kun."

The last three words were so quiet that Akira could barely make them out.

"I love you too, Becky."

Sadayo giggled at his words and quietly said goodbye before hanging up.

When the phone clicked, Akira set it back on the charger and sighed as he looked out over the empty apartment before picking up the phone again and placed an order for some Chinese delivery. While he waited, Akira got to work on putting away the rest of his clothing.

Since he'd sent most of the belongings ahead of time, Sadayo had taken to putting most of them away for him. Clothing, books, and other things littered the house, even the books he'd sent to her dotted the house, reminding him of his parents home.

Smiling, he opened the closet, and true to her word, Sadayo had set aside half of it for him. While his side was mostly empty, save for a couple of shirts and pants he'd sent ahead, Akira noticed her wardrobe and couldn't resist snooping.

On top of several variations of her baggy yellow and white shirt and jean skirt, Akira found tee-shirts, slacks, jeans, and a few new dresses to go with the one she'd bought during their vacation. As he adjusted the clothes to make sure he hadn't weighted the rod down too much, Akira saw a flash of black, red, white, and blue. Flipping through the clothes, He chuckled when he found Sadayo's old maid outfit and a few new bits of lingerie she'd bought over the past several months.

He'd only seen her in the lingerie once each time. The red was a more traditional style without all the frills of the blue she'd worn over their vacation, and the white was something called a sleepwear dress, and as much as he loved the blue, there was something about the way the white clung to her body that he found difficult to resist.

"Yo, Akira!"

The teen was pulled from the image of him running his hands up Sadayo's chest and left the bedroom and found Morgana sitting next to the front door.

"What is it," asked Akira disgruntled.

"Someone's at the door." Morgana placed a paw on the door just as someone knocked. "I think it's the food; I'm smelling something delicious on the other side."

There was another knock, and Akira replied that he was coming. Pulling his wallet out, Akira opened the door and was greeted by a young woman carrying a large bag of food.

"Hello, sir. Are you Kurusu, Akira?"

"I am." Akira couldn't help but notice the girl was around his age and had a very pretty smile.

"Great." She pulled out a receipt and began reading off the order and when she finished asked, "Is that your correct order?"

"Yes, it is."

"Excellent, that'll be thirty-five hundred yen please."

After accepting the money, she returned his change, gave him that same pretty smile before thanking him and heading off.

"She was pretty," chuckled Morgana as they headed into the living room.

"If you say so." Akira was beginning to feel a bit annoyed at the cat's commentary.

"What crawled up your butt," Mona asked as he began chewing on some of the roasted chicken Akira had ordered. "It's not a crime to think someone's pretty if that's what's bugging you."

"Just finish eating your food," snorted Akira as he began devouring some noodles.

"Fine," huffed Mona after swallowing an unusually large piece of chicken. "I wasn't saying you were gonna invite her in you know. I know you wouldn't do that to Sadayo."

"Thanks," Akira sighed and set his chopsticks down and looked around the living room and felt a small wave of loneliness wash over him. Shaking his head, he looked at Mona and asked if the cat was finished.

"Yeah, I overate earlier," belched the cat. "Are you? You didn't eat that much."

"I'll be fine," sighed Akira as he stood up and began cleaning. After putting everything away and cleaning up his small mess, Akira headed into the bedroom, climbed into bed, and turned on a movie. Try as he might, Akira felt his eyes begin to grow heavy and within minutes fell into an uneasy sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

I hope you guys are enjoying the new story. I know it seems very...average, but it'll pick up very soon! I got other confidants planned on showing up, him meeting her parents, her meeting his parents, we're gonna have him meet her parents. I got an onsen weekend prepared once Akira finally taking her home to meet his family. Then there's all this other stuff I have planned, and it'll be good...hopefully. I'm worried about this story but I hope you guys will enjoy it and I look forward to your constructive criticism and reviews.

Now, forward fellow fans and readers!

P.S. I think I found someone who can make a kimono/yukata in the style of Lala-chan! I think I can dress as them for Emerald City Comic-con! YAHOO!

This chapter was going to be longer but how I had this work out it just fit to end it here. Next chapter will be a similar fashion...for now, it's just everyone's favorite teacher at work!

Chapter 3

Sadayo stretched and let out a loud grunt as she finished her final adjustment to her lesson plan for the first year students. Sighing in satisfaction, the teacher looked at the clock in hopes that it was almost the end of school, but she was disappointed by the sight that it wasn't even lunchtime. Sadayo grunted in disappointment as she stuck her pen in the cup on her desk and pulled out a piece of dried fruit from the small bag on her desk. She'd been smart to pack what little food she had left in the fridge for her lunch as she hadn't managed to get breakfast that morning, having barely slept the night before. Sadayo had been so anxious for Akira to come home that she had stayed up cleaning until past midnight and was paying for it now.

Even though she'd been hiding it from the rest of the staff, Sadayo was beginning to feel sluggish and the day was only half over. Rubbing her eyes, Sadayo rechecked the clock and found that she still had at least fifteen minutes left of her first break and decided to stop by the teacher's lounge for some coffee, even if it tasted like diluted beach.

It was safe to say that Sadayo had been spoiled over the last couple of years thanks to Akira and Sojiro. While her boyfriend wasn't yet the level of the older man, she always preferred his coffee to Sojiro's and couldn't wait for him to make her a fresh cup the following morning. While she'd been getting better at using the type of equipment Akira and Sojiro used, Sadayo wasn't brave enough to use such expensive materials on her own; even if Akira could afford to buy a new set.

Stepping out into the hall, Sadayo was nearly bowled over by several second years practically running to get back to their class before the bell rang.

"Slow down," she called as she regained her balance. "You still have ten minutes; there's no need to run!"

"Sorry, Kawakami-sensei," shouted one of the girls in the group.

"If you're sorry, don't let me catch you doing it again!"

"Yes ma'am," the girls bowed and waved before walking briskly toward their classroom.

Shaking her head, Sadayo made her way toward the teacher's lounge and was just about to get the caffeine needed to get through the rest of the afternoon only to hear Chouno shouting at her from down the hallway. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Sadayo turned around and plastered on the best smile she could as she asked, "What can I do for you Chouno-san?"

Dressed in her usual pink dress and gaudy jewelry, the English teacher looked more displeased than usual which had Sadayo worried. The last time Chouno had looked like this was when she'd cornered Sadayo about the Kamoshida incident shortly after Akira had found out about her old part-time job. Though displeasant to think about those days, Sadayo felt a genuine smile form and even chuckled when her co-worker stopped in amazement at the change in attitude.

"Well, you're in a good mood," huffed the woman, her arms crossed in their usual fashion. "And here I thought I was going to pull you away from your desk with drool pouring out the side of your mouth."

"Unfortunately I got caught up in cleaning my apartment last night, so I didn't get much sleep." Sadayo felt her patience waver momentarily as she processed the woman's remark. "Besides it's such a nice day and it's the end of the first real week of school, so why shouldn't we smile at our first day off of the year?"

"You make a good point," snorted the other teacher. "Especially with how much extra work the principal has had you doing over the past several months."

"I'm just doing what she asks," answered Sadayo feeling a bit agitated at the undertone.

"Of course you are." Chouno gave Sadayo one more snide look and shrugged. "Well, no one can say you haven't worked hard, I just wish Ogawa would at least consider the rest of our contributions. But instead she's chosen to give another project to you."

"She's what?!"

Sadayo was amazed that the principal already had another project for her. She'd already had Sadayo and Hiruta working on figuring out the school trip and that hadn't been easy, even with the extra funds the school had been able to bring in under the new principal.

"She's got another project for you," repeated Chouno in that loud obnoxious way people used when annoyed. "Good grief, how did you ever become her favorite with that lack of attention."

"I'm not her favorite," snorted Sadayo. Sadayo had never actively sought Ogawa's favor, nor asked for the projects; she merely did as her boss requested, even if it cut into her time with Akira. Luckily though, the younger man had been understanding and helped her on occasion and Sadayo had paid him back in spades as often as she could.

"Of course you're not," answered Chouno with a shake of her head before waving at the younger woman. "Regardless of your perspective on the matter, Ogawa-san asked me to tell you she needs to see you in her office and that I'm to help with covering your class while she talks to you. Do you have any plans or should I have them do a free period?"

"I do have a plan. Follow me, and I'll get you my notes and the homework assignment." After leading Chouno into the office, Sadayo went over the plan with the English teacher and after confirming she knew what to do, headed off to the principal's office.

It wasn't the first time she'd had another teacher cover for her while the principal talked to her and Sadayo was beginning to feel the pressure of the principal's trust.

Ogawa Chiko had been teaching longer than Sadayo had been alive. She'd won numerous awards and had spent ten years as the vice-principal of a school in another district where she'd led the school to prominence even more than their principal. So, when the chance came for her to get promoted to Shujin, the woman took it and had established herself as a more capable leader than Kobayakawa had been, though anyone could have done a better job than that man buffoon had.

Caring but stern, Ogawa regained the trust of the board, PTA, and several other vital factions quite easily which helped Shujin's reputation immensely. Funding had increased dramatically, giving the teachers their real first pay raises and sizable bonuses since Sadayo had started working there. These actions, on top of Ogawa's handling of not only the students but the faculty as well, had transformed Shujin into the kind of school Sadayo had always wanted work for.

Despite all these positive changes, however, there had been a few drawbacks in regards to the change in command. Some teachers had put in their resignation or transferred out of the school because Ogawa was well aware of their former treatment of students, thus leading the older woman to look to the remaining faculty members to fill in where they could while she hired replacements.

As luck would have it, despite some protests and negative comments from a few senior teachers that had stayed, Sadayo had somehow caught the woman's eye and had been given project after project. At first, Sadayo had found it strange since in all her time as a teacher it seemed that she was either continuously berated by colleagues or under suspicion for some reason or another. But now thanks to her boyfriend, friends, and the support of a few friendly co-workers, Sadayo paid little attention to these new suspicions.

For the longest time, it had been difficult being able to balance her personal life with people who she'd considered her friends first and students second, but thankfully the Phantom's had remained true to their word. Save for the occasional day where they'd hang out at Leblanc or the apartment on one of Akira's trips home, they kept any communication between them limited to their phones or an impromptu personal discussion disguised as a meeting between teacher and student.

Even those were rare, and she was confident those meetings were one of the reasons the principal had taken a liking to her. It was thanks to those meetings with Ann and Ryuji asking for advice that Sadayo had gotten the idea for creating a daily after-school tutoring schedule. Even after those two were gone, she'd continued with the program and the school had seen a steady rise in their test score rankings, which followed to her getting the principal's attention and thus earning her several projects as a reward.

As Sadayo began hoping quietly that this new project wouldn't cut into her first night home with Akira, Sadayo approached the door to the office and gave it a gentle knock.

"Come in," came a voice from the other side of the heavy wooden door.

Opening the door, Sadayo entered the familiar nicely furnished office where a woman in a dark blue suit with neatly trimmed brown hair and thin wire glasses occupied the seat of former principal Kobayakawa.

Glancing up with her deep brown eyes, Ogawa's stern gaze relaxed when she saw who was standing there and managed the faintest hint of a smile.

"Kawakami-san, glad to see you got my message. Please come in and have a seat."

Shutting the door behind her, Sadayo straightened her pant legs and took the comfortable wooden chair across from the older woman.

"Chouno-san said you wanted to see me. She said you have another project for me."

"Yes I do," coughed Ogawa as she set aside a thick stack of papers and her pen. Leaning forward she rested her chin in her palm and asked, "I take it you've met Maeda-sensei?"

"Of course!"

Sadayo hadn't spent much time with the younger woman, but she'd found her presence quite welcoming. Thanks to Kamoshida, Sadayo, the students, and the other teachers had become wary of all the new hires. Through no fault of her own the new gym teacher had to work incredibly hard to earn not only the trust of the staff but also the student body, and while it was slow almost everyone at the school had begun to warm up to her.

"Tell me, what do you think of her?"

Sadayo blinked at this request and took a moment. She wanted to be careful of what she said as not to lose any of the trust Ogawa had placed in her and after a moment said, "I haven't spent too much time with her, given my workload, but the time I've spent with her has been refreshing and she hasn't forced herself onto anyone, in both a professional and unprofessional way. She seems to know the situation and is treading carefully, working to build her reputation rather than trying to stand upon the pedestal of her previous accomplishments."

"That's good to know." Ogawa leaned back in her chair, her interlocked fingers resting on her small stomach. "I'm glad she's taken a cautious approach rather than just assert her dominance. It seems I made a good choice."

"It would seem that way," agreed Sadayo as she shifted in her seat. "But I'd prefer her being careful over bull rushing everyone. If there's one thing my tenure here at Shujin has taught me, it's best to not step on too many toes right away."

"Speaking from personal experience," chuckled Ogawa knowingly.

"We all have experience in that regard, ma'am," confirmed Sadayo, though keeping quiet about how her experience differed from the other students and her fellow staff members.

"That you do," Ogawa nodded, a small grimace on her face. "But I'm not here to talk about those horrible stains on this school's history. While I don't wish to sweep them under the rug, there's little we can gain from dwelling on past events except learn from them and strive to be better, don't you agree?"

"Absolutely." Sadayo felt a small warmth in her heart as she thought about how she'd once been a prisoner of her past and couldn't move forward. "I've had my trials in that regard, and I do agree that we should do what we can to move forward without dwelling on the past. But what does this have to do with Maeda-sensei?"

"Ah yes." Ogawa's face turned a slight shade of red at having gotten off topic. "Well, if truth be told, sometimes simply moving forward is not the only means of making things better we must also make sure we take time to celebrate our accomplishments as well as the arrival of new friends."

"I'm not sure I understand, ma'am?" Sadayo had a suspicion what this was about, but if there was something she'd learn from her time alive and dating Akira, it was best to gather all the facts before concluding a person's intent. "What do you mean by 'celebrate'?"

"Why I mean a welcoming party," chuckled the older woman as she cleaned her glasses. "It's been almost three months since Maeda-san joined us and I forgot that last month I'd told her that we would be throwing her one fairly soon."

"That shouldn't be a problem," sighed Sadayo feeling a wave of relief wash over her. From what Sadayo knew, Ogawa wasn't very familiar with the area and thanks to her old jobs and sneaking around with Akira and their friends; she had more knowledge than she knew what to do with about Tokyo. "If you need some help with planning it myself or one of the other teachers can give you some ideas on Monday."

"As much as I'd love yours and the other teacher's input, there's a small problem." Ogawa's face turned to a slight crimson as she stared Sadayo in the eye. "The thing is that...I may have accidentally told her earlier today that we had one set up for tonight and I have to head out to an important meeting with a few board and PTA members to discuss the direction we wish to take the school and so..."

"You need me to plan a welcome party for, Maeda-san by tonight?" Sadayo felt her stomach clench tightly, and her blood pressure rise. As much as she enjoyed the extra work, tonight was Akira's first night home in months, and this bombshell sent all their plans crashing down.

"I do," Ogawa looked and sounded sorry, but that didn't help curb Sadayo's patience. "I know I've been asking a lot of you lately, but after this, I promise that you won't be given anything for a good long while. You've put in more than your due diligence with the tasks I've given you, and honestly you're one of the few people I can trust with something as important as this."

"Why do you trust me so much," Sadayo asked before she could stop herself.

In spite of her answer to Chouno's comment earlier, Sadayo had been wondering for a while why the principal had zeroed in on her as being so trustworthy had been a source of constant wonder for the teacher.

"Is there a reason I shouldn't?" Ogawa's right eyebrow arched curiously, and an incredulous look flashed across her face.

"No," replied Sadayo firmly. "But if I can be frank, the other teachers are talking, and some seem to think you've been giving me preferential treatment."

"Have I now?" Ogawa gave a low chuckle and leaned forward, her hands resting on the desk, but her smile slackened when she saw the worry on Sadayo's face.

"Can I ask you a question, Kawakami-san?"

"That depends on the question," joked Sadayo, before wiping the smile from her face. "I mean, of course, you can."

"Do you know why I give you and Hiruta-san all this extra work?"

Sadayo took a moment to think it over, before shrugging and saying, "I'd say it's because you trust us but that's a bit too obvious."

"It's obvious because it's true." Ogawa reached into her desk and pulled out a file with Sadayo's name on it and watched as the young woman began pulling at her pant legs. "Don't worry; I'm not going to read what's inside. I know everything about what every member of my faculty has been documented doing during their tenure as educators. Some of your co-workers have impressed me while those who haven't...well there's a reason we hired Maeda-san over that idiot Yamauchi on top of the other applicants."

Sadyo nodded knowing full well the scandal Yamauchi had caused thanks to the news from the PTA on top of Ryuji and Akira telling her about how they'd gotten him reported.

"And there are reasons why people like Chouno, Usami, Hiruta, and some of your other co-workers have stayed while others have been replaced. Do you know that reason?"

"It's because we know how to do our jobs?" Sadayo was certain there were several reasons, but she figured playing it safe and answering obvious questions would work to her advantage more than coming off as a know it all. "And that we care about our students."

"Those are the two biggest reasons." Ogawa reached into her bag and pulled out a few more files and set them down on the desk one by one as she spoke. "Hiruta, though eccentric, has proven to be a valuable teacher with his original brand of thinking and teaching. Though he can be a bit tactless, he is sincere in his attempts to get to know the students and help them. Chouno has a bit of an arrogance issue and tends to complain as I'm sure you're aware but the students do learn well under her, and when she finds out there's a problem she does work hard to help have it resolved. However, I think that's more out of motivation for self-preservation and snobbery as opposed to altruism."

Sadayo snorted quietly and tried to keep her composure, but she saw a smirk on her bosses face and felt a bit less guilty for her indiscretion.

"Usami-san is a solid teacher and works at making sure the students are at least trying to learn but does need to work on her approach and communication."

Ogawa went through a few more files before finally placing her finger on Sadayo's and tapped it.

"Then there's you," Ogawa picked up all the files and put them away before returning her attention to Sadayo. "I'd say it's safe to say we don't need to discuss some of the contents of your file, but I want you to ask me this one question before we continue if that's all right?"

"Of course." Sadayo sat up straight, prepared for the worst, eyes locked onto Ogawa's as she asked, "What do you want to ask me?"

"Why," asked the principal quietly, "why did you decide to remain as a teacher after all of that? You could have quit and gotten a job elsewhere, but instead, you decided to remain in a position where something like this would follow you around and possibly hinder any chance you had of career advancement. I'll have to admit that I'm impressed, but you have to admit it's a rather perplexing situation."

"In all honesty, I've asked myself that question several times," replied Sadayo as she began formulating her answer. "I spent a lot of nights wondering if I should just throw in the towel and find work in another field, but the truth is I couldn't bring myself to leave teaching."

"According to your co-workers here and your file you barely put in any effort for so long that they were all amazed you hadn't been fired before now." Ogawa laced her fingers together and stared at the Japanese teacher for a good long while before saying. "It seems to me that you could have left anytime you wanted given your lax approach to your career."

"I could have," said Sadayo with a hint of resignation. "In truth part of the reason I stayed was that I was comfortable. I had a steady income, benefits, and so many other perks that in all honesty, I didn't want to give any of it up. The other reason was that I was having too many personal problems that switching careers would have been too much of a hassle and I couldn't afford to leave my position."

Ogawa looked like she wanted to dig deeper, but the woman held her tongue and instead asked, "Are there any other reasons?"

"The other reasons are rather silly," chuckled Sadayo as she felt herself begin to relax. "I'm not sure if you want to listen to them."

"Indulge me," coaxed Ogawa with a grin. "You've made me curious as to why you decided to stay and put so much hard work into such a troubled school."

"All right," said Sadayo with a sigh of defeat. "Like I said they're silly, but one of the other reasons I stayed is because being a teacher is all I've ever really wanted to be."

"Really?" Ogawa leaned back in her chair, a smile plastered on her lips. "I've heard of people having childhood dreams, but those usually involved being things like superheroes and things of that nature."

"Some kids want to put out fires and be police officers," countered Sadayo with a small huff. "Why should my childhood dream of being a teacher be any different?"

"You make a valid point," laughed Ogawa as she brushed some hair out of her eyes. "My apologies, I meant no offense."

"I didn't take any." Sadayo shifted in her seat again and cleared her throat. "You aren't the first person to ask me about why I stayed. My parents did and so did a few friends after everything that happened. I'm just thankful that the school board allowed so many of us to stay on."

"Why shouldn't they? It's clear from all the effort you've put in that you take your job seriously." Ogawa took a sip of water and sighed. "You got that tutoring program off the ground, even your students who remember your lackadaisical attitude from their first year appreciate your advice. Then there's the fact that you've done so many projects for me with so little complaint that I've been worried I've been working you to death, shows your devotion."

"It hasn't been easy on my social life that's for sure." Sadayo had spent many nights so immersed in work that she'd gone hours without replying to some of Akira's texts that he'd ended up sending her an instant message on the computer at home to make sure she hadn't fallen asleep in the middle of working.

"I bet it hasn't since Hiruta-san has made a couple of similar complaints." Ogawa and Sadayo both shared a laugh before the older woman broke the mood by asking, "Can you indulge me by answering one more question? I promise it has something to do with our current topic of conversation."

"Are you sure we have the time?" Sadayo was well aware of the time thanks to the digital clock on the wall and was beginning to worry about getting to her classes. "I do have some classes left for the day."

"We'll be fine," grunted Ogawa as she took another sip of water. "The students should be heading to the track team send-off at any moment which is the other reason I wanted to have this party for Maeda-san."

"Of course," sighed Sadayo as she mentally smacked herself in the head, feeling several times better. "I forgot about the pep-rally."

"So did I until my secretary reminded me of it this morning." Ogawa shook her head and rubbed her eye. "That's why I have Maeda-san and the student council president filling in for me. But enough with the side conversations, I have to ask you about that transfer student, Kurusu I think that was his name."

"What about him," asked Sadayo rather hastily and she saw a flash of interest in Ogawa's eyes.

"Relax, I'm not insinuating anything," sighed the principal, oblivious to the fact that Sadayo's concern about her questions was justified. "I just wanted to know why you stuck up for him? All the other teachers seemed fine with just leaving him to the accusations but you. It makes sense for his friends to go out and work hard to attempt to get the accusations and his old sentence thrown out, but you spent a great deal of energy to get the teachers to write up letters of character reference for him. Why?"

Sadayo felt her palms start sweating and her stomach begin to churn. There were so many ways this conversation could go wrong, and she had to choose her words carefully. If she said too little and Sadayo would look like she was doing what Chouno had done after the Kamoshida incident; while speaking too much and she'd blow the lid off her and Akira's relationship. Sadayo knew that she'd have to tell the school at some point, but she wanted at least a little more time before having to admit to her relationship, but for now, she figured a partial truth would work just fine.

Taking a deep breath, Sadayo wiped the sweat off her palms and said, "Part of it was because of guilt. You've read my file, so I'm sure you're intimately familiar with what happened at my old job."

"I am well aware," answered Ogawa with a gentle nod. "And you have my condolences about that young boy. I know this is silly to ask, but was he the reason you felt guilty?"

"Not only Takase-kun," Sadayo's mind flashed back to the day Shio jumped from the roof. "But then there was Suzui-sans attempted suicide, the fact that I turned a blind eye to not only hers but Mishima-kun's pain as well as the abuse dealt to all the other students. I just felt like a failure to those kids, and I know what I've been doing hasn't been helping much but even if I can't help all of them I at least want to try and make their lives better. I don't want another person under my care to ever go through that again."

After saying all this, something in the back of Sadayo's mind clicked, and she let out a soft chuckle.

"I just answered my question, didn't I?"

"You did." Ogawa nodded and gave Sadayo a soft smile. "Everything you just listed off are the reasons I trust you as much as I do. The people I have in this school are those I know I can trust with these students. All of the first years and most of the second years have only hearsay to run off, but the third years remember and it's easy to see those scars are still there."

"I know." Sadayo could still see the occasional distrust in the older student's eyes when the teachers even tried to help them. "I know that most of us are trying to heal those wounds, but I don't think they'll begin to close until the kids leave here."

"It's clear you're deadset on trying to make sure they at least begin to heal," Ogawa chuckled as she began rummaging through her desk. "And as much as I enjoy discussing the progress of our students, I'm afraid that time is the cruelest ruler we all obey."

"I can't argue with that," laughed Sadayo quietly as Ogawa handed her two small rectangular items. "What are these?"

Sadayo looked down, and her eyes widened at what was in her hand. One was a simple piece of paper with seven numbers on it, and the other was...

"Is this a school credit card?!" Only two people that she knew had access to these, one was at home sick, and the other was sitting right in front of her. Sadayo knew that this was only to be used for official school functions or emergency purchases, and she hardly considered a night out to be either of those two.

"Yes it is," answered Ogawa as she began packing her bag. "That number I gave you is a confirmation code to a preset amount I've authorized you to use. I've made it so that after you spend the amount nothing else can be added to it and any other purchases are to come out of yours and the other teacher's pockets. My conditions are that you keep the booze to a minimum and try not to spend the limit. Also, make sure that you get the business receipts so I can add them to the school expense reports."

Sadayo followed the principal out of the office and in a hushed voice said, "Are you sure you want to give this to me? I have no problem paying for myself, and I'm sure the other teachers won't have too much of an issue either, but a school..."

"Sadayo."

Kawakami so caught off guard that she nearly tripped over her feet as she stopped.

"I understand your trepidation," continued the principal with a smile. "But I trust you and the teachers. Just make sure you rip up that number after the place you go to confirms that it has been activated. As long as you follow my instructions and don't lose either of those two items you'll be fine."

"O...of course." Sadayo gave a small bow and meekly said, "Thank you for trusting me."

"Just don't disappoint me." Ogawa returned the bow and as she walked away shouted, "You'd better get a move on finding a place to throw this party; all the places around here will be filling up soon!"

As the principal walked away, Sadayo stared down at the cards and with a heavy sigh said, "Sadayo what have you gotten yourself into?"


	4. Chapter 4

So...before I begin...I want to apologize for how boring of a start this story has gotten off to. I've suddenly just been hit with fatigue, headaches, and a bad cold. The last chapter was supposed to be a lot longer and finish up but between all three of those things. However, with how my health and home life ended up going, I figured I had a decent chapter ready and that until I got better, it would hopefully satisfy you guys. It's not my best start and things will soon get rolling and I hope you guys like it. Until then friends...have some fun and I hope the holidays are treating you well.

Also…..the game doesn't give us a lot of information about the other teachers...so I'm gonna make some stuff up about them. Hopefully, it works out in the end.

Sorry for another 10,000 word chapter!

Chapter 4

"A karaoke joint?"

Sadayo sighed heavily and nodded at the snide comment made by some of her coworkers.

Her first instinct was to tell them all to quit complaining given how hard it was to book this place on such short notice, but she figured a genial approach would prove most useful. She'd spent the rest of her afternoon on her office phone calling every restaurant she could think of that could handle a dozen teachers and all of them declined Sadayo except this place and a maid cafe she'd dialed by mistake. After immediately hanging up on the poor girl, Sadayo booked a room for a few hours and at the end of the day gathered all the teachers that were available to join them and made their trek to the bar.

Turning around Sadayo wasn't surprised to see Usami, Chouno, and a few others snickering quietly at the nervous look on Maeda's face.

Taking a deep breath, Sadayo straightened up and said, "I know it isn't the best choice given the noise, but it was all the best I could do on such short notice." She gave Maeda a nervous smile and asked, "I hope I chose properly."

"It's not my forte," chuckled the brown mousey-haired track teacher as she stared up at the glowing neon sign, "but I think we can make do."

Sadayo let out a relieved breath and wasted little time in getting her coworkers set up in their parlor while she made sure everything was okay with her using the card. Save for a small hiccup where Sadayo hit the wrong number when entering the confirmation number; everything went smoothly. After everything had been settled, she called home to make sure everything had gone okay with Akira's arrival. She couldn't believe that she'd been so stupid to forget her charger at home and if it were for all the security measures revolving around her email and school monitoring phone calls, Sadayo wouldn't have had to wait so long to check on him.

When he picked up, Sadayo felt a weight lift off her chest and was glad to hear his voice over the echoing bass emanating from the parlors. She could barely hear him over the noise and the occasional interruption from her coworkers, but Sadayo had little trouble in noticing the slight changes in his voice. It didn't take her long to tell that he was upset that she wouldn't be home with him on his first night.

She'd wanted tonight to be unique, even if it was merely them eating some take-out and watching a bad movie. Even Akira had mentioned just wishing to loaf about on the couch, eat some food, and pass out in a junk food coma until the morning. Sadayo was even willing to risk having a couple of drinks with him in celebration of their official moving in, but thanks to her responsibilities she'd had to put that on the back burner.

As she hung up the phone, her mind obsessing over the disappointment behind the smile in his voice, Sadayo thanked the wait staff and headed toward the party room.

All around her she could smell the stale, lingering scents of cheap alcohol and tobacco. The cacophony of varying styles of music, tone-deaf voices pounded in her head, making her head throb. Rubbing her temple, Sadayo entered the room to find Hiruta and Chouno already into a cup of alcohol and singing some cheesy pop song.

Sighing she dropped onto the large couch and turned down a beer from Usami-san and instead poured herself some soda that had been delivered shortly before her arrival. It was still cold, and she drank deeply. While not her favorite drink, Sadayo took it happily and kept her eyes focused on her co-workers.

While Usami, Inui, and a few other teachers continued to probe through the catalogues of songs, Sadayo couldn't help but notice the appearance of a fit, mildly tanned, and brown-haired woman sitting down next to her, a nervous smile on her face. She was dressed in loose-fitting pants and a tee-shirt and seemed to be clapping along with the music, this time a slow ballad sung by Inui-san who was doing quite well despite Sadayo's initial misgivings. Moving closer to the woman, Sadayo offered to pour her a drink, and like her elder, Maeda Shiori chose to avoid alcohol for the time being and instead opted for a cold glass of oolong tea.

"Thanks," said the younger woman with a small bow before draining the glass in three short gulps.

"Would you like a refill," chuckled Sadayo holding up the pitcher.

"What are you talking about?" Maeda looked down at her now empty glass and nearly jumped when she saw that it was empty. "Sorry about that." Maeda held out her glass and let out a nervous laugh. "It's my first real work party; I guess my nerves are getting to me."

"Just try and relax and have fun." Sadayo poured the drink and then one for herself in a clean glass and sipped. It had a mildly nutty flavor to it with a small hint of fruit at the end that Sadayo found enjoyable. After drinking a bit deeper, Sadayo sighed and set the glass down. She couldn't help but give a cautious glance at the clock and gave a small internal sigh at when she noticed it was barely past eight.

"Is something the matter?" Maeda followed Sadayo's eyes and noticed the clock. "I'm not keeping you from anything am I?"

"Not really," replied Sadayo casually. The lie came so easily that she felt a bit ashamed. "I just wasn't expecting to have to throw a party at the last minute. Ogawa-san is gonna owe me big."

"I'm sorry about that." Maeda held up a hand in apology and gave a cautious smile. "But if it means anything I do appreciate it. I haven't been to karaoke in a few years, and even though the night's just started, it's already looking to be a good time."

The teachers had started on their third, maybe fourth song. Sadayo wasn't paying much attention as she had no intention of singing. However, she had to admit that things were going better than she had initially thought. Only about ten teachers, counting her, had been able to show up but Sadayo was just fine with that amount, and she had to admit the company wasn't too bad either.

"So do you and your boyfriend go to karaoke often," asked Maeda, giggling as she watched a couple of the teachers try and fumble their way through a song in English.

Sadayo nearly choked on her tea at the question and had to wipe away the tea that was dribbling her chin.

"Excuse me?" Sadayo hoped that the dim light hid any sign of a blush as she cast what she hoped was a curious look at the younger woman.

"I was just kidding." Maeda snorted into her cup and began clapping along with some of the music. "I've seen how hard you work so I figured I'd have a little fun. I haven't been on any dates in a long time thanks to school and starting work."

"It's not an easy job, that's for sure." Sadayo wasn't sure if the younger woman was facetious with the commentary, but she was willing to let it slide for now. "And I haven't been to karaoke in a long time."

 _If you count four months being a long time._

Sadayo couldn't help remember their time at Christmas when Akira had managed to come and visit a couple of days after the holiday. It was one of the few times they'd been able to spend time together since the summer, and they wasted little time in doing as much together as possible. Dates, movies, going out to dinner, nights at the arcade, they'd even managed to go ice skating. At first, it had seemed like a good idea, but Akira had fallen so many times that his legs become so covered in bruises that Sadayo had to call Tae to give him a special ointment to help with the pain.

The Japanese teacher had to admit that seeing Tae for the first time had come as a shock. She was used to Akira having such varied friends, Iwai being one of the few she'd met thanks to Kaoru being one of her students, though the airsoft owner had no idea about her and Akira's relationship. But where Iwai was offputting due to being such a caring father despite his gruff demeanor, Tae had been a sort of visual explosion when she showed up at their apartment.

With her dyed hair, pale skin, leather jacket, and boots, Sadayo couldn't believe the woman was a doctor. Nor could she help but feel a bit jealous at how comfortable she seemed with Akira's body and talking to him about things she barely understood. She knew Tae's interest was mostly out of professional concern, but Sadayo was well versed in the experiments the doctor had run on her boyfriend's body and had to hold her tongue when the woman explained how often to apply the ointment.

The knowledge of how many times Akira had passed out, accompanied by the fact that most of her experiments were technically illegal had Sadayo watching the woman like a hawk and sent her off with little more than a, "Thank you," once the examination was complete.

After the fiasco of skating, the two of them spent most of their nights hanging out with their friends, one of which was a night at a karaoke bar where she'd finally heard Akira honestly attempt to sing a song with Ann and it ended with everyone rolling on the floor laughing.

"What's so funny?"

Sadayo turned her attention from the drunken attempt that was Hiruta trying to sing something in English to Chouno who had decided to join them.

"I was just thinking about the last time I went to karaoke." Sadayo decided to switch from tea back to her soda and sipped at it gingerly.

"You've done this before?" Chouno asked in disbelief as she lit up a cigarette and exhaled heavily through her nose. "That's a surprise."

"I do have a life you know," huffed Sadayo turning her attention back to Maeda. "It's not a particularly fun one most of the time, but I do have one. Last time I did this was around Christmas with some friends and let's just say that we sounded worse than what you hear in the hallway."

"That sounds like a good time." Maeda had finally decided to switch to a beer and was turning down yet another request to sing; this time from Inui. "Let me get a couple of these in me and then I'll give it a whirl."

"Fair enough." Inui turned his attention from Maeda to Sadayo and extended his hand, "Kawakami-san, may you do me the honor of joining me in a song?"

"Not tonight," laughed Sadayo with a wave of her hand. "I promised I'd keep an eye on everyone and I'm not really up for singing tonight. But I'm sure Fujita-san would be more than happy to join you." Sadayo gestured to a young brown-haired woman in a pair of khakis and a white blouse.

"Maybe," Inui scratched his chin thoughtfully and then nodded. "Thank you for the suggestion. Hopefully, I can get one of you two wallflowers to have some fun at some point."

"You could have said 'yes,'" tutted Chouno as she stamped out half her remaining cigarette and put it back in the pack. "Seriously Kawakami, you need to learn how to have some fun."

"Last time you thought I was doing something like having fun, you sat there and cornered me in the hallway and began accusing me of not caring enough about my job." Sadayo downed the rest of her soda and set it on the table a little too hard which caught the attention of a few teachers. Apologizing for the noise before turning her attention back to Chouno. "But now since you see I do care about my job you've been giving me nothing but contempt. I don't know what the hell it is you want from me, but I'm getting sick and tired of being a target. Instead of worrying about me, why don't you do something that shows you give a damn and maybe you'll finally be able to remove that stick that you seem to have permanently shoved up your ass."

The look on Chouno's face would have been worth it if this had been the old her, but Sadayo immediately regretted her words. It was unprofessional and Sadayo had never liked talking to people in this manner. But after all the time she spent trying to throw this party together in a few hours, Sadayo wasn't about to let herself be walked over. That Sadayo no longer existed and she wanted to make sure everyone, especially Chouno, knew it.

"You have my apologies," coughed Chouno as she began looking at the clock the same way Sadayo had.

Sadayo could feel the eyes of a few other co-workers on them, but not enough that it had ruined the party. She felt the urge to apologize, but the truth of the matter was she didn't want to, not yet. Instead, Sadayo decided to finally take a chance and sing with one of the teachers, but Maeda pulled a surprising move.

With a soft smile, the young woman stood, gave an understanding nod to Sadayo before turning to Chouno and said, "Come on, why don't you and I take a turn up on the stage?"

Chouno looked at the young woman, her face still hardened by the verbal thrashing she'd received, but after a moment of quiet reflection decided to accept the invitation. Standing up, she gave a small snort at Sadayo before heading to the stage where the guest of honor was met with raucous applause. Clapping along with the others, Sadayo couldn't help but glance at the clock again before having her attention claimed by Hiruta.

"Well, that looked like it was fun." Hiruta picked up one of the bottles of sake the servers had brought in and downed two glasses in quick succession. "Mind telling me what that little quarrel was all about?"

"What else," grunted Sadayo, resisting the ever increasing urge to drink, "Chouno's getting on my case about something stupid….again."

"Ah yes, Chouno's famous condescension." A huge smile grew on the biology teacher's face as he bit into a small piece of fried chicken. "You aren't the only one who's been on the receiving end of it this week."

"She's been going after you as well?"

Ever since Ogawa had begun giving them jobs, the pair of them had grown close. Maybe it was because of how his eccentricities reminded her of Yusuke or the fact that unlike the rest of the teachers he rarely felt the need for pomp and circumstance. Sadayo rather enjoyed his company, and the two spent a few nights going out and having dinner on occasion after they completed their work.

It was strange to have a friend similar to her age again, but at the same time, Sadayo was glad she finally had someone she could complain about work without needing an explanation.

"Oh you have no idea," chuckled Hiruta as Chouno tried to follow along with the song Maeda had picked out. "I don't dislike the woman, but she has this nasty tendency to always shift her shortcomings onto others. It's such a shame really; I think I could be a friend to her if she'd just calm down. I mean I know Chouno can be a lovely woman, I've seen it, but she seems limited by her inability to let things go. Not that I blame her of course, after how the school was run for so long it's bound to affect everybody differently. In her case, it's trying to look like she's the one who cared the most and tried the hardest. The sad thing is I do think she could accomplish it if she'd just stop trying and do it."

"You sound like the little green guy from that space movie," grinned Sadayo, taking a piece of chicken he'd offered her. "Next thing I know you're going to be lifting spaceships out of the swamp with your mind."

"I prefer the manipulation of organic matter over mere telekinesis. But the very idea of the amount of energy one would have to..."

Sadayo shook her head and smirked at how once Hiruta's mind focused on something the man would become enthralled with it for hours. She was always amazed at how often he'd finished their work while muttering incoherently to himself and as he began calculating how much actual power it would take to do something like that, Sadayo helped herself to some more food and drink. By the time she'd finished the small plate of food in front of her, Maeda had already sung at least four songs with several of their co-workers and Sadayao was beginning to feel a bit anxious.

While she and Hiruta had been talking, Sadayo noticed the occasional glances a few of the other teachers were giving them. She suspected that it had something to do with a rumor mill about the two of them dating was forming, but when she saw a male teacher point at the songbook in his hand then at her, Sadayo had an idea of what they were planning. It was inevitable, but she wanted to hold out for as long as possible and excused herself to the restroom before one of the teachers could pull her onto the stage.

When she was out in the hallway, Sadayo felt a sense of relief at being able to at least breath a little more freely out here. Only a few teachers smoked, and while the room was large, the smoke was beginning to get to her. After leaving the room, Sadayo asked a server where the restroom was and practically ran toward it.

Once inside she threw herself into a stall and began rubbing her face as she sighed heavily.

Even with everything going smoothly, Sadayo couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. Between having this thrown at her, the other projects Ogawa gave her, her work with the tutoring program, the prep for the apartment, Akira's arrival, and now her snapping at Chouno, Sadayo wished she could just go home and go to bed. Pulling back the sleeve of her blouse, Sadayo sighed and when she saw her watch say it was approaching ten and figured she'd only have another hour before she could duck out.

The club closed at five in the morning, and most of the teachers were behaving themselves so she figured it wouldn't be an issue leaving early without too much suspicion. Sadayo knew many of them would follow suit since most of them took the train and a few were practically neighbors, so she didn't have to worry about them being left alone wandering the streets drunk.

Lost in her thought, she heard the bathroom door open and figured she'd best head out before anyone came looking for her. Leaving the stall, Sadayo was surprised to find Maeda san standing there cleaning her face in the sink, looking slightly haggard, but exhilarated as well.

"So this is where you ran off to? I thought you had finally made your escape."

"Escape?" Sadayo tried her best to add a small laugh of confusion, but Maeda had a look on her face that said she didn't believe her.

"After seeing you snap like that at Chouno, I figured you would want to head home as soon as possible." Maeda dried her hands, her smile reflecting in the mirror. "Truth be told I find her attitude a little grating as well, but there's not much I can do about it but try and keep it from turning into a full-fledged fight."

"Thank you for that by the way." Sadayo decided to go through the motions of washing her hands. "It was nice of you to do that for me, despite not knowing the entire situation."

"I didn't need to know the entire situation." Maeda rested her back against the counter and shrugged. "You two don't get along, and I wasn't here for most of it. It's not my place to pry or judge on past events that I wasn't around for."

"Even with all the rumors about me being the principal's favorite?" Sadayo was well aware that Chouno wasn't the only teacher to talk about her or Hiruta behind their backs. They weren't the only teachers to get projects, but thanks to the amount they were given, it was inevitable.

"People talk," said Maeda flatly. "I haven't been at the school as long as you so I don't pay much attention to what they say. I let the actions I see tell me what I need to know; not listening to a bunch of gossipmongers."

"How old are you again," joked Sadayo as she dried her hands.

"Old enough," teased Maeda as the older woman finished up. "My parents had me a bit later than they planned so I grew up hearing words that aren't part of the common vernacular. My oldest brother was a second-year in high school when I was born so you can imagine the kind of movies and music I got exposed to."

"It's not that hard to believe." Sadayo couldn't help but recount how many times Akira had surprised her with his knowledge of shows, music, and movies she thought most kids had forgotten. "People tend to gravitate towards the stuff they grew up with, mix that with the stuff we pick up from our peers, and everyone ends up with their unique perspective and style."

"Ain't that the truth," yawned Maeda as they headed back toward the room. "How much longer do parties like this tend to go?"

"Depends on how much they're willing to spend after the money runs out on the card. Or if the bar closes before we finish."

"You can't be serious?" Maeda rubbed her eyes and checked her watch. "Do you have any idea how much is left on the card?"

"Nope," answered Sadayo truthfully. "Ogawa-san just gave me the card and sent me on my way. All I have to do is bring her back a business receipt and make sure nobody gets into trouble."

"I never realized parties like this could last so long, or be so tiring." Maeda slouched and shook her head at the prospect of the party going on for several more hours.

"Welcome to the working world." Sadayo gave the young woman a sharp slap on the back startling the P.E. teacher.

"OW!" Maeda reached an arm awkwardly behind her back and began rubbing where Sadayo had hit. "You're freaking strong!"

"I work out," laughed Sadayo flexing her arm jokingly only to be startled by the Maeda suddenly grabbing her bicep in curiosity.

"Yeah you do," hummed Maeda appreciatively as she inspected the muscles. "You're doing a pretty good job too. Do you have a trainer or..."

Maeda's voice trailed off when she noticed the discomfort on Sadayo's face. She let go and raised her hands in apology saying, "I'm sorry about that. It's a bad habit of mine when people start talking about their workout regimens. As you noticed, I get a little too interested at times."

"It's all right." Sadayo felt the blood leave her face as she relaxed. "You wouldn't be much of a gym teacher if you weren't interested in people's physical health."

"Doesn't change the fact that I need to learn to stop doing that." Maeda slouched even more as her embarrassment continued to build. "If I don't break that stupid habit I can end up in big trouble. This is my first real job, and I don't want to get fired for something stupid like that."

"Well, they say the first step to fixing a problem is acknowledging you have one" stated Sadayo thoughtfully. "If you're aware of the issue and are aware that you need to fix it then you're off to a pretty good start."

"That's kind of you to say," chuckled Maeda appreciatively. "And thanks for not freaking out on me."

"Think of it as my repaying you for helping me out earlier." Sadayo couldn't help but laugh when she saw Maeda nod vigorously.

"Absolutely," said Maeda with a heavy sigh of relief. "I'll make sure to keep my hands to myself from now on."

"See that you do." Sadayo gave the younger woman a gentle tap on the nose before opening the door to the room where the party was starting to finally get a little rowdy.

When they entered, one of the hosts that had greeted them when they arrived approached, a small, nervous smile on his face as he spoke.

"Kawakami-san, I hope everything has been to your liking this evening?" He was a bit taller than Sadayo, with a small goatee on slicked back hair. His aftershave didn't smell too bad, but with the lingering scents of booze and tobacco in the air, it was a bit too pungent.

"I think the state of my co-workers should tell you everything" Sadayo gestured at the laughing crowd and gave him an appreciative bow. "Thank you so much for accommodating us so quickly; it means a lot."

"Of course," the man bowed back and gave her the same smile he had moments ago. "I just came by to tell you that we will be shutting down certain aspects of the kitchen soon. However, if you do need more drinks we are more than capable of handling that. You still have at least another fifty-thousand on your limit so if there's anything we can do to accommodate to you beforehand please let us know."

A few of the teachers overheard him and began shouting out orders forcing the man to ask them to quiet down before politely asking him to repeat their requests.

Sadayo began trying to do the mental math of what they all had ordered and shook her head at how they were acting. She couldn't blame them, most of them had very little to celebrate over the past year, but with things finally going their way, Sadayo was willing to cut them some slack and added in a small dessert order for her to go.

 _Just because I'm out having fun, doesn't mean I can't surprise him with something sweet to make up for it._

The man nodded and once again thanked her for the patronage and exited the room. When he was gone, Sadayo felt someone pull on her arm and turning she found a grinning Hiruta staring at her with a wireless microphone in hand. Sadayo began shaking her head, laughing as he pulled her up on stage where Maeda was waving and asking for everyone to quiet down. Figuring out was going to happen, Sadayo began trying to pull away from Hiruta, who despite being drunk, was able to keep her in check and gently pushed her up onto the stage and remained as a barrier between her and the shadows.

"All right, now that our gracious host has returned, I have a few words I want to say!"

The group all quieted down, and Sadayo felt sweat begin pouring down her neck. If this was going to be a thank you speech, Sadayo had no idea why she had to be up there, well she knew why but she wished Maeda had finished her speech and let the atmosphere return before pulling this. Sadayo felt herself begin to cloister up even more as the younger woman spoke.

"I just want to thank everyone for showing up to welcome me to the school. I know I haven't been the most forthcoming with getting to know everyone but the fact that so many of you showed up at the last minute means I must be doing something right."

Sadayo could barely hear the light laughs over the pulsing sound of the music from the other rooms, and Sadayo could see the smiles through the blinding lights.

"I know that there's been a lot of changes lately at the school and that change is scary, especially when you've gone from graduating college to getting stuck in high school again." There was another small laugh from the crowd, and even Sadayo had to smile. "But, regardless of that I again, just wanted to say thank you to all of you, and I hope that we have several years together as not only co-workers but friends too." The group all gave another light applause only to be quieted down again. Once they were silenced, Maeda turned her head and gave Sadayo a mischievous smile. "And as part of that, I think we should all give a warm thank you to the woman who threw this together so quickly."

There was a sharp pain on Sadayo's back as Hiruta pushed her forward and the woman heard a polite smattering of applause. A few people whistled, and Sadayo waved at them and bowed before attempting to run off only to be brought back onto the stage by Hiruta and given his mic. Sadayo grimaced and looked at Maeda a pleading look, but the girl merely shook her head.

"Come on now, Kawakami-san. You've been hiding all night, and everyone knows how hard you've been working and we all want to see you have some more fun right?!"

Everyone cheered and after looking down at the mic and the screen to see a song preloaded and recognized it as a duet. Resigned to her fate, Sadayo nodded and said, "It seems I don't have much choice."

"All right," laughed Maeda innocently as she snapped her fingers and a mid-tempo beat began playing.

"I'm going to get you for this," whispered Sadayo as they waited for the words to begin lighting up.

"I'm sorry," snickered Maeda as the music began to pick up, "but it's only fair that if everyone got up here and performed that you should too."

Before she could retort, Maeda began singing along with the music. Sadayo patiently waited for her turn, and when she did, she couldn't stop laughing as she fumbled through the words. It'd been years since Sadayo had sung this song and several of the other teachers began laughing as she desperately tried to keep pace. Most of the other teachers all laughed and joined in trying to help Sadayo along, but in the end, she just couldn't keep up and kept tripping over her own words and broke into laughter.

It was impossible for her to keep a straight face and despite her best efforts, Sadayo continued to fumble along and get distracted. Instead, the older woman tried her best to provide a backup dance while Maeda powered through the song like a champ, jumping up and singing as Sadayo and the others cheered her on. By the time the song was finished, Sadayo's stomach was in knots from laughing so much. Content to applaud along with the others, Sadayo felt her face burn even brighter as Maeda pulled her to the front of the stage and forced her to take a bow.

Most of the teachers cheered, and when she looked out at the crowd, Sadayo was surprised to see even Chouno smile a bit until they locked eyes. When that happened, Chouno averted her gaze and began murmuring with one of the male teachers. Ignoring the slight, Sadayo started to straighten her clothes and gave one of the other teachers her microphone before returning to her seat in the corner. Just as she was sitting the man, who had been helping them appeared along with some servers, all of whom were carrying trays filled with food and drinks.

When everything was set down, Sadayo waved the man over and asked about where the party was at financially.

Nodding, the man pulled out the form he had and said, "You're just about at your limit for the card, don't worry about your order it wasn't that much, and I suggest you announce it before everyone gets upset at finding out they can't order anything else."

"Thank you for everything," Sadayo replied before getting to her feet.

"Don't mention it," he said with a smile. "Honestly, compared to other groups we've had over the past couple of months you all have been a godsend."

"I still appreciate it." Sadayo gave him a polite bow and took a small box that he offered her and began reaching for her purse but was stopped by the man placing the receipt in her hand.

"Honestly don't worry about it. I made a few modifications to the receipt so enjoy the rest of your evening."

Taken aback, Sadayo stuttered a thank you and watched as the employees left. With the teachers all eating, drinking, or singing, Sadayo knew she would have to remind them all about the limit. She'd made sure to tell them about the limit before-hand but after all the drinking Sadayo knew it was necessary. When the most recent performers finished their set, Sadayo took the microphone and heard a series of wolf whistles and cheers of her co-workers.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I think one song is enough for me."

"Come on, Kawakami!" Inui and Usami were on their feet, drunk and waving around large mugs of beer. "Give us one more song!"

Several other teachers were on their feet shouting for her to sing again but Sadayo waved them down, with her laugh echoing through the microphone.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not up here to sing. I'm only up here to make a small announcement that may or may not disappoint some of you!"

"We're not leaving," shouted a drunk Usami as she downed the rest of her beer. "We've been working our asses off for the past several months, and we've needed to cut loose."

"No one is making you leave, Usami-san," answered Sadayo with the most patient smile she could muster, "but I do have to inform you that for the rest of the evening if you wish to have any more food or beverages you're going to need to pay for them yourselves."

A significant amount of the crowd booed while others tried to ask Sadayo to call Ogawa to increase the limit.

"I can't," apologized the flustered teacher with a nervous laugh. "Ogawa-san gave me explicit instructions to mind the limit, and we've nearly reached it. No one is saying you have to leave or stop having fun, but you will have to pay for any extra time or food yourselves. If you, however, want to go home, just make sure you have a partner or another person to help get you there safely. It's late, and I don't want anyone getting hurt all right?"

The teachers all muttered their agreement, and a few returned to their drinks and food while others began grabbing their things and staggering toward the door.

Letting out a sigh of relief that it hadn't gotten too out of hand, Sadayo left the small stage and after checking the clock decided it was time to go home. It was nearly midnight and she wanted to make sure she was home before the last train ran. Sighing as she gathered up her work jacket and purse, Sadayo heard a small cough from behind her and saw Maeda and Chouno standing next to her. Maeda was all smiles, as usual, a slight sheen of sweat covered her forehead, and she smelt like beer. Chouno, on the other hand, looked just as agitated as earlier but that didn't help Sadayo's confusion as to why she was standing there.

"Going our way," asked Maeda as she pointed at the door.

"Uh, no," answered Sadayo as she picked up the dessert she'd ordered. "I live in the opposite direction so unfortunately, I won't be able to join you on your ride home."

"Aww come on!" Maeda reached out and clapped Sadayo happily on the shoulder. "We have the day off tomorrow, and a few teachers are going to join us at one of the bars near my place before we crash for the night."

"I appreciate the offer, but I do need to get home." Sadayo's grip tightened on the bag holding the small cake as she spoke. "I have plans tomorrow, and I need to get some sleep."

"Well that's no fun," shrugged Maeda disappointed. "Are you sure you're going to be okay getting home?"

"Relax, Maeda-san." Hiruta appeared behind the two women, his coat already on and his hair haphazardly combed. "I live one stop before hers so I'll make sure she's safe up to that point."

"Sure you will," snorted Chouno under her breath, though loud enough that Sadayo heard.

"Chouno-san," laughed Hiruta with a casual smile at Sadayo, "I'm not going to do anything ungentlemanly. Besides, I have my daughter for the next week, and you know how picky she can get about meeting new people."

Chouno's face flushed with embarrassment and she said, "I didn't mean any offense by it."

"None taken," answered Hiruta calmly. "Now if you ladies would excuse us, I have a nine-year-old to pick up in the morning, and I'm sure Kawakami-san would like to get some sleep as well."

"Be safe you two," shouted Maeda as Hiruta and Sadayo left the party.

"I could have handled that you know," snorted Sadayo as they left the building. "Your intervention probably caused more problems than it fixed."

"I don't think it did," hummed Hiruta happily. "Everyone is well aware of my visitation with my daughter, and you all know how shy she is, so I think we're safe."

"That's true." Sadayo had met Hiruta's young daughter only twice before and the girl had barely said a word to anyone, speaking in only whispers to her father. "Is she doing okay in school?"

"Ikuko just started her fourth year and is acclimating splendidly," Hiruta said with a small bounce in his step. "She's still having trouble making friends, but she's getting there. I can't force these things on her, but her mother on the other hand..."

"She's trying to show who the better parent is, isn't she?"

"What else is new," sighed the man as they paid for their tickets.

Thanks to their extended time together, Sadayo had gotten to know quite a bit about Hiruta's past and knew his ex-wife had a slight obsession with one-upping people. She had a stable corporate job that paid substantially more than Hirtuta made as a teacher and despite her work schedule managed to make it to nearly every school event and to see their daughter off every morning. It was thanks to this flexibility that the courts had sided with her which limited Hiruta to only seeing her one week a month, instead of splitting the weeks in half as he'd requested.

As they boarded the train, Sadayo and Hiruta took their seat and continued their discussion about Ikuko's visit. Though he would be working, her school was close enough to Shujin that he'd be able to take her there and had a unique accommodation to pick her up at the end of her school day when she visited. He chatted excitedly as she explained all the plans he had for them for the week. Movies, junk food, the usual fare Sadayo remembered seeing in shows and movies involving single parents. To some, it would be boring but the amount of zeal he had while explaining had Sadayo smiling as the train sped through the city.

When they were about half-way to his stop, Hiruta finally stopped talking and asked, "So, did he finally move in today?"

Sadayo's smile faltered a bit, but she nodded happily. Over the tenure of the friendship they'd built, Hiruta had come to know Sadayo well enough that she had a boyfriend, and that he was moving in with her.

"Yeah, he got there about the time we showed up at the bar." Sadayo's hands clutched at the boxed cake she was cradling in her lap. "He said he was fine with it, but when you're together long enough and you talk as much as we do, you begin to pick up on the subtleties no matter how well they hide them."

"You'd think that," snorted Hiruta as they began approaching the stop before his, "but it doesn't always work out that way."

"I'm sorry," sighed Sadayo as she tried her best to smile at him. "I wasn't trying to..."

"Don't apologize." Hiruta gave her a gentle pat on the head and laughed when she smacked him in the stomach. "Sorry, force of habit."

"Whatever you say." Sadayo sighed and stared out at the shining city-scape. "But in all seriousness, I am worried about him. He's been dealing with some things lately that I can't really help him with at times. He's talking to a specialist about them and I think he's making some progress with his parents. But he's got some trust issues with them and I can't really help him with that as much as I try."

"You can't fix every problem thrown in your way, Sadayo." The train announced their arrival and with a heavy sigh Hiruta climbed shakily to his feet. Using the pole for balance, Hiruta stumbled toward the door and before stepping off turned to Sadayo and said, "But that doesn't mean you should stop doing your best to help him!"

When the doors shut, Sadayo gave him a wave and rested quietly in her seat as the train continued onward. As it stopped, she felt the elation hit her again and she couldn't help but rush out the door, nearly forgetting her bag in the process. Heading up the stairs to the station, she wasted no time in running to their building. Most of the lights were off, but a few still speckled the front of the building and she sighed happily when she entered the door. The night had grown chilly and in the five-minute walk from the station she'd gotten a slight chill and was glad to be inside.

Heading to the elevator, she jammed the button for the fourth floor and began begging for it to move faster and when it dinged open, she slammed her shoulder into the door in her haste but paid little attention to the dull throb of pain. Focused solely on getting home, Sadayo reached for keys and fumbled trying to find the right one. When she found it, Sadayo entered the apartment and had to force herself to keep from announcing her arrival

Keeping quiet she took her shoes off, set her bag and keys down, and when she was finally able to get a good look at the apartment, she was surprised to find it completely pitch black and had to fumble for the entryway light.

Blinking back the sudden rush of light, Sadayo was glad to see a black and white cat looking up at her, his tail twitching behind him.

Bending down, she scratched his ear and whispered, "Hi, Mona. Your dad tells me you like your new house and food bowl."

The cat meowed loudly and rubbed his hand against her head. Sadayo giggled at the affection and gave him a gentle pat before letting him wander off.

Feeling a bit better, Sadayo picked up the cake and headed into the kitchen and grabbed two forks before heading into the bedroom.

Every time Akira came to visit, he'd always head to the bedroom first to put away his clothes, change, rest, or spend a few minutes talking to her about how things were going. When she entered the room, however, she was greeted by a pile of dirty clothes and an empty bed. Sighing loudly, Sadayo set the cake aside and began gathering the clothes.

With the clothes in hand, she left the room and nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice say, "I was going to pick those up in the morning."

Her heart pounding, Sadayo turned her attention toward the couch and found it empty and then looked at the loveseat where she saw Akira sitting in nothing but his boxers.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" Sadayo tossed his clothes to the ground and joined him on the couch. When she saw him, all that happiness became coupled with an intense feeling of worry. He was pale and she could see a small glisten of sweat on his forehead and his eyes were barely open. Placing a hand on his chest, she began rubbing the scar just below his right pectoral and asked, "What's the matter? You look sick, do I need to get you some medicine?"

"I'm fine, well physically at least." Akira picked a can up off the coffee table and took a sip and grimaced. "I think this soda's gone bad."

"That's beer, love." Sadayo took the can from him and tapped the label. "One of the last ones too."

"Sorry about that," grunted Akira as he rested his head against the back of the chair. "I was preoccupied and wasn't paying attention."

"What's on your mind?" Sadayo took a sip of beer and handed it back to him but he declined. "Not that I'm complaining but I thought you'd at least be clothed."

"Well, you know how anxious I am the first night we see each other after a long absence." Akira took her hand from his chest and squeezed it tightly.

"So anxious the past couple of times you've fallen asleep half an hour after you've walked in the door." Sadayo took another sip of beer and winked at her boyfriend.

"That's true," Chuckled Akira, his hand continuing to rub hers. "You know how tired I get after long trips."

"Since we've never taken one, I wouldn't know." Sadayo set the beer down and turned her attention back to him. "But we'll get to over the next long holiday."

Moving closer she placed her forehead against his. She could feel the cold and sweat and sighed heavily at the tired look in his eyes. The urge to kiss him was growing, but she had to hold off. If she kissed him now, he'd get distracted and then he'd not want to talk about what was bothering him.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said with a smile and moved his head to her shoulder.

She half expected him to kiss it, but he didn't, all Sadayo could feel was his breath on her neck as his arm wrapped around her stomach. Smiling she wrapped her arms around him and moved back, resting on the arm of the couch. He followed and soon his body nearly covered the entirety of the love seat and Sadayo wasted no time in stroking his hair the way he liked.

Save for the sound of the fridge and their breathing, the apartment was silent and Sadayo was rather enjoying herself, despite her frustration at his silence. But this was how it was with him when something was on his mind. They'd chat for a bit and then they'd either kiss and forget about the problem or he'd do something that signaled he needed her to comfort him and tonight he'd done what she'd wanted and she was ready to help in any way she could.

"I had a nightmare," he coughed after a few quiet moments.

"What kind?"

She was well aware of how severely his nightmares could interrupt his sleep. She'd woken up to him twitching and muttering under his breath, drenched in the same cold sweat he was in now. Sadayo was usually able to wake him before they got too bad, but more often than not after she'd fallen asleep, she'd find him in the living room the next morning, sleeping upright with the television on.

"One about what happened last Christmas."

"Which part of it?" Sadayo knew a bit about what had happened before he'd come to see her, but she'd never been able to coax the full story out of him. Anytime she probed, his face would go blank and she'd have to wait for him to either come out of his trance and explain or hastily change the subject.

"I dreamt about….," she felt him curl against her, his arms squeezing her tightly as he whispered, "I dreamt about when I died."

"What are you talking about?" Sadayo knew he'd been in serious fights, his body was proof enough of that but this was the first she'd ever heard him say anything about dying. "How could you have died when I'm sitting here holding you?"

"I didn't literally die. At least I don't think I did." Akira buried his face in her shirt and she could feel his lips kiss her stomach. "Do you remember when I told you about Mementos, and how it bled into our world?"

"Yeah," answered Sadayo cautiously as she tried her best to remember the details.

A few months back, she'd had some strange dreams about bones and red skies and when she told him about it, he'd nearly broken down in front of her, hoping she'd have forgotten about it altogether. But she hadn't and thanks to him and their friends she'd been able to come to terms with them, unlike the young man she had laying across her chest.

"I remember it very vividly; it definitely helped put more of how you guys were able to do so much into perspective. Made me feel like a world class idiot after that tongue lashing I gave you back in February."

"Don't start that again," he chuckled dryly as he kissed her chest. "I told you I understand why you felt that way and I deserved it for hiding everything from you for so long. But we're getting off track."

"You're right," she apologized after kissing the top of his head. "So what was so different about this dream? You've never been this shaken up before over one of your nightmares."

"Not that you've seen," he retorted with a small huff. He lifted his head and stared up at her, his eyes more focused than they had been. "And I wouldn't call it a dream necessarily. I guess you could say it's more of a memory."

"A memory?" Sadayo blinked and felt her head tilt in confusion. "How do you have a memory of 'dying'?"

Akira smirked at the inflection of the last word and said, "On Christmas, back when Mementos merged with the world, people forgot about us. Forgot about me, Ryuji, Haru, Futaba, they just...forgot we existed and when they did..."

Sadayo watched as Akira's face grew pale as he spoke.

"We could hear them forget about us, like somebody was slowly erasing every mention of us from their mind and as they did, we started to disappear; literally." Akira sat up and pointed at his head. "It started here and it felt like my brain was being split in half and then it moved to here," he pointed at his shoulder where his scar started. "And then it just spread throughout my body. It felt like every part of my body was being ripped and burned as I was pulled in every direction. I could hear everyone screaming about how they were fading away and I just…"

Sadayo had to fight to pull his hands from his hair. His eyes were wide and his hands were shaking and it was all she could do to keep his hands away from his head. He was breathing heavily and Sadayo could see the sweat beginning to pour down his head again.

"All I could see was black and I couldn't get the sounds of their screams out of my of my head. I don't know how long it lasted but it was long enough."

He was whispering now and Sadayo watched as Morgana hopped down from his tower and climbed up between his legs and began nuzzling his hand. It wasn't much, but it helped steady his hands.

"It's okay," she whispered as she kissed the back of his hands. "You're here now and you don't ever have to go through that again."

"I will at some point," he said with a loud gulp. "We all have to; I'm just...I'm just afraid of when it'll happen. It's bad enough for it to have happened once but I don't..."

"Akira," Sadayo took his face in her hands and stared him in the eyes. "Look at me, please."

Akira could barely bring himself to do it, but he managed.

"You're safe," she whispered. "You're home with me. Your friends are alive and safe; your family is alive and safe."

"I know," he said trying to sound casual. "But it's in my head and I can't get it out. The meds and the shrink aren't helping like I thought they would and I just want them out of my head!"

"It's going to take time," she whispered before giving him a soft kiss on the lips. "Remember what Doctor Sakai said about that? You won't see results right away and even with years of help you might never fully be rid of them, but they'll more than likely lessen. You just need to be patient and remember you aren't alone." She began stroking his cheeks and smiled warmly. "You've got so many other people that care about you; myself included. You stopped all those horrible things from happening, and you and our friends should be proud. But you can't rush this."

"You're right," he said quietly as she massaged his skin. "You're always right."

"No I'm not," she said with a light chuckle. "I just have a lot of patience from dealing with a stubborn boyfriend."

"You're one to talk," snorted Akira as he nuzzled her hands.

"Two sides of a coin, remember?"

Akira gave her his first real laugh since they started talking.

"Thank you," he said kissing her wrists and caressing her hand.

"You don't need to." Sadayo pulled her hands away from his face and took his hands in hers. "This is what we do for each other so there's no need for thanks."

"Well, it's okay to thank each other occasionally." Akira let out a heavy sigh and ran his thumbs along her fingers and shrugged again. "So thanks; for everything you do for me."

"Ditto," she said with a smile and gave him another kiss and pulled them back into their previous position. He was warmer, but Sadayo took a moment to throw the blanket they had on the back of the couch over his mostly naked body. He burrowed further into her, nuzzled her chest, and she smiled.

He was quiet, the only noise from she could hear from him was the gentleness of his breathing. He was heavy, but she was used to this position. They'd done it often enough that both of them were familiar with where to place their bodies to make sure the other one was comfortable. When the movie came on, she heard him begin to laugh quietly at what it was and smiled. It was one of the first movies they'd watched so long ago on his tiny television in Leblanc and Sadayo chuckled along with him, glad to see that he'd begun to loosen up.

"Kind of fitting isn't it?" Akira shifted his weight and looked up at her, his finger stroking her collarbone. "First night living together and the first movie we ever watched as a couple is on T.V."

"It is rather serendipitous," she grinned as she tapped his nose. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone tonight. I should have told Ogawa I had plans before getting wrapped up in her little scheme."

"It's not your fault," Akira answered as he twitched his nose. "Besides you deserve a night out having some fun. I mean it sucks that it had to happen on the night we were supposed to celebrate, but we can do that tomorrow. Did you have fun?"

"It wasn't too bad." Sadayo brushed some hair out of his eyes and stroked his cheek. "I sang one song because Maeda wanted me to, besides that, I just sat there and talked to people, had some tea, and ate some pretty decent food. I have a small cake I brought home for us to share but I left it in the bedroom so I could pick up your laundry."

"I can do my own laundry," he growled playfully as she giggled at his annoyance. "But can we save the cake for tomorrow, I kind of want to lay here with you for a while. Is that okay?"

"I'm perfectly okay with that. But before that happens, there's just one thing that I need to do."

"Oh, sorry." Akira began to pull himself off of her but was pulled back, his face inches from her.

"Where are you going" she teased as her arms encompassed her lover's neck. "I didn't say you could leave."

"I thought you needed to use the bathroom." Akira's face turned a slight shade of red as he spoke.

"No, I don't." Sadayo chuckled as she leaned in and kissed Akira's neck and whispered, "But thanks for the consideration."

"You're...you're welcome," Akira replied shakily as she began kissing her way back up his neck, unsure of what to do.

"Relax," she said as she began playing with his hair. "We don't have to do anything tonight. Let's just enjoy us like we originally planned"

"Sounds good to me." Akira turned his head and saw her eyes shining up at him. He couldn't resist anymore and leaned in, his lips barely brushing against hers.

It felt good to feel his skin against hers, he was still cold, but she could feel the warmth flowing back into his body as she pressed her lips against his. He smiled into the kiss and she could feel his body fall against hers as he relaxed into her. When they separated, Sadayo felt a familiar warmth spread throughout her body as their bodies intertwined.

"So the kiss was what you needed to do," asked Akira as he returned his attention to the movie, his hand slowly moving along her stomach.

"There was one other thing."

"What's that," he asked staring up at her curiously.

Sadayo's arms tightened around him and doing her best; she gave him another light kiss on the forehead before happily saying, "Welcome home, Aki-kun."


	5. Chapter 5

So sorry the story got so long and didn't start the meat of it til now. 30,000 words is a lot, but I had a lot to set up with this story. I hope you guys like it, even if it's been a bit boring.

Also….Thanks to Lonely_support for the help. We got to talking about Ryuji's mom and some other stuff and well...you'll see in a bit. Hopefully, our ideas aren't too similar, and the overall tones will be different so..I just wanted to be upfront about that.

And I'm gonna occassionaly use some comics and fanarts i've seen as inspiration for a few scenes just to spice things up.

Like with the talks with Lonely_Support I want to be upfront about it. Figure open and honest is the best route.

I hope you guys are liking this story. I worry about that constantly, stupid writers habit.

Chapter 5

Akira wasn't surprised that the cafeteria was packed.

Thanks to a freak storm that suddenly rolled in, everyone seemed to be running in to avoid the rain which wouldn't have bothered Akira if he wasn't on a deadline.

Two months into his college life and this was the first time Akira had fallen behind in his work. If there was one complaint he had, it was not being able to get ahold of his professors when he had questions. He was so used to having access to teachers when he needed them that the sudden change to dealing with their assistants was proving difficult to handle since most of them seemed like they would have been somewhere else.

It was thanks to their disinterest that he'd turned in a few assignments late because they weren't any help. Sure it had cost him a few points in his grades, but Akira wasn't worried. So far his marks were well above what he needed to keep his scholarships but it was still early in the year, and he didn't want to risk losing them so soon. When a particularly loud group came in, Akira had to bite his tongue and instead focus on rummaging through his bag for his earbuds and lunch.

Setting his leftover stir-fry down on the table, Akira plugged into his computer and blasted some music before returning to his English assignment.

It wasn't too complicated, but he was having trouble with some of the definitions. Grumbling something about Ann being on an assignment in Europe or America, Akira couldn't remember since she'd been working so much it was hard to know where she was most days. He could have texted or emailed her but it would take her hours or days to get back to him, and he decided to go the old-fashioned route and pull out his dictionary. As he got caught up in flipping through the pages, somebody slammed a massive textbook down on the table in front of him, sending a significant amount of his lunch everywhere.

"Dammit, Ryuji!" Akira slammed his book shut as a massive pile of chicken landed on his lap and all over his textbook. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

"Oh, shit. Dude, I'm so sorry," laughed Ryuji as he began cleaning up the mess immediately.

Several people were looking over at their table. Some were snickering while others shook their head in disappointment at their immaturity. His face flushed, Ryuji began gathering as much food as he could and tried to put it back in the container.

"Just throw it away," sighed Akira as he wiped sauce and rice off his books. They weren't too stained, and he was still able to make out everything on the page, but he was now down almost three-quarters of his lunch.

"I truly am sorry about that, man." Ryuji opened his bag and handed over a large container of something. "Here, my mom made me more than enough for us to split."

Rolling his eyes, Akira took the container as graciously as he could and opened it. Inside were several rolled omelettes, some fried chicken, and a bunch of vegetables along with a few other sides.

Akira spared little thought in taking a significant amount for himself and shut down his laptop, growling, "What the hell was that about? All you had to do was knock on the table."

"I thought it'd be funny," shrugged Ryuji with an apologetic smile. "It ain't like I was planning on destroying your lunch." Taking the container back, Ryuji gave a small glare at Akira who had started eating an omelette. "But you sure as shit destroyed mine."

"That's what you get for screwing up the lunch Sadayo packed for me." Akira tossed a bit of broccoli at his best friend before biting into his chicken.

"D'awww you two are so cute." Ryuji reached across the table and pinched Akira's vegetable stuffed cheek.

"Knock it off," growled Akira as he tried to stab at Ryuji's hand with his fork. "I gotta get this done before work tonight."

"Which job," inquired Ryuji as he began eating his food. "I'm already working at Crossroads tonight so unless Lala-chan needs extra help you shouldn't be showin' up."

"I'm working with Iwai tonight," muttered Akira as he began scribbling notes. "He gave me a raise since the convenience store let me go, so I've been working longer shifts at his place."

"Dude, you got fired" Ryuji's mouth was so full of food that Akira was barely able to understand him.

"Come on, man," groaned Akira as he looked up from his book to find Ryuji pulling out one of his health textbooks. "Can you at least swallow before you try to talk?"

"Whatever you say, Mom." Ryuji gulped loudly and pulled out a large slab of legal paper and began scanning his book. Akira watched as his friend flipped through the sheets, amazed at the number of notes the runner had been taking.

"You doing okay," asked Akira as he began writing again.

"What?" Ryuji looked at his friend who then pointed at the notes making the former blonde laugh. "Oh yeah. I'm doing fine, at least in the health stuff. Math and language are kickin' my ass though, but I'm lookin' into getting a tutor for that stuff, but in the meantime, Makoto is gonna help me out. Didn't expect the college level stuff to get this tough. I bet you're having an easier time though with Sadayo around to help you study ain't ya?"

"Not really," sighed Akira as he began chewing on a piece of chicken. "She hasn't been home that much lately. Last night was our first night going to bed together in like two weeks. I've been working extra shifts, and she's busy with finalizing a bunch of stuff before summer break starts, so we haven't had a lot of time together."

"That's shitty," commented Ryuji as he began highlighting a bunch of words in his textbook. "She know about the convenience store gig?"

"Yeah," sighed Akira remembering when he'd come home looking despondent after getting let go.

It'd been about a month since he'd moved back when he'd showed up for his shift ready to work, only to get told that the company was making budget cuts and that Akira had been deemed as unnecessary staff. They'd given him a small severance for his help, and when he told her, Sadayo smiled, kissed him, and said things would work out.

"What'd she say about it?"

Akira looked up at his best friend who was staring back expectantly.

"She's fine with it," answered Akira with a laugh. Like with most of their friends, Ryuji had a somewhat unhealthy concern about the state of Akira and Sadayo's relationship. It was endearing if a little awkward at times. "She isn't upset and thanks to the raises Iwai and Lala-chan gave me when I started working again, I'm barely losing any money."

"Good," sighed Ryuji as he returned to his schoolwork. "It's nice to know you two are doin' okay. Ann's been bugging me about you two for a while since she can't seem to get ahold of you when she has the time, so I'll give her an update."

"I'll email her later." Akira found it funny that Ann and he had been thinking about each other around the same time. "Figure she deserves to know the whole story."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Ryuji chucked a tomato at his friends head and snorted when Akira caught it in his mouth. "Showoff."

"Damn right I am."

They both chuckled and continued to study for a while with Ryuji clicking his tongue quietly and Akira spinning his pencil between his fingers. After several minutes of silence between them, Akira couldn't help but ask, "You doing okay over at Crossroads?"

"Why wouldn't I," said Ryuji in surprise after finishing some of his notes. "Lala-chan's awesome and I make like twenty-five hundred yen an hour just for cleaning up drinks and dishes. I mean yeah some of the customers are a bit weird, but it's a cool job and the money's helpin' out at home and with my tuition so I can't complain. Why're you askin'?"

"Considering what happened the first time we went to Shinjuku," a cruel smile spread on Akira's lips as he remembered how Ryuji had acted when he got hit on by those two, rather creepy older men, "I have reason to worry."

"Dude that was two years ago." Ryuji swallowed a large bite of chicken and raised his middle finger at Akira. "I ain't got a problem with girls that like girls and dudes that like dudes. It's the creeps like those two assholes that bothered me. Besides Lala-chan runs that place pretty smoothly and no one messes with anyone in there. Long as you're cool and pay your tab, I ain't gonna bother you."

"Yeah, I don't need any reminders of how the bar is run," chuckled Akira as he finished up the sentence he was working on before moving to his math. "I've been working there longer than you."

"Technically you started before me, dude. But I got ya beat in number of hours on the clock," shrugged Ryuji as he began erasing some mistake on his work. After a few more minutes of quiet, the wannabe gym teacher asked, "You and Sadayo still gonna show up this weekend? Mom's been bugging me about it all week."

"I know I can make it," mumbled Akira as he began searching for some of his notes. "But Sadayo is another story."

"I hear ya," sighed Ryuji as he stretched. "I told her to quit buggin' you about it, but she's been dyin' ta meet her ever since you let it slip the last time you visited that you had a girlfriend."

Akira felt a small stab in his chest at the comment but knew his friend had a point.

The last time Akira had been in town before his move, Ryuji's mother Yuriko, had invited him over for dinner and Akira had been happy to oblige her invitation.

Despite her past with her husband, Yuriko was a good woman who did a lot to make them feel comfortable, and it was funny to watch how much Ryuji doted on her. Though lacking the temper of her son, Yuriko had an uncanny ability to maintain control over all of them whenever the Phantoms came over. Whether it was from having such a difficult time dealing with her ex or raising someone as hot-blooded as her son, the woman exuded a cool control over her home, and none of her son's friends stepped a toe out of line while she was around.

Shaking the thought of an angry Yuriko from his mind, Akira went back to work saying, "Did you mention to her that Sadayo is older than me and has a full-time job, so she needs to make sure she keeps a particular sleeping schedule?"

This statement was mostly right as Sadayo tried to be in bed between ten and elven most nights, but ever since Akira had moved in, there were school nights when they'd stayed up until almost one and paid for it dearly the following day. Though despite how tired they were, the smiles on their faces made up for it.

"I tried, but she keeps saying that if ya come over on a Saturday, you two can't get out of it." Ryuji rolled his eyes and began tapping his pencil against his notebook. "I mean if you want you can tell her that you picked up a shift a the bar since I'm off that night. Hell, it's a Saturday I'm sure Lala-chan could use the extra help."

"Lala's got that family thing outta remember?" Akira took a sip of his water and yawned. "Bar's gonna be closed for a week after tomorrow."'

"Shit," hissed Ryuji as he balanced his pencil on his nose. "Ya could tell Mom Sadayo's going outta town. That could work."

"Maybe," hummed Akira as he checked his phone and swore. "Dammit, I'm gonna be late for my math lecture. I'll talk to Sadayo about it later. See ya!"

"Later," shouted Ryuji as Akira ran into the downpour, once again without an umbrella.

"I gotta start putting that thing in my bag," he said to himself as he pulled up the hood of his sweater and darted toward the math building.

The rest of the day continued without much incident. Akira was relieved to see he'd passed his tests in literature, math, and his computer courses with decent grades. Afterward, he spent some time at Leblanc catching up with Futaba who was just as excited to see Ryuji's mom as Akira was dreading it.

"Aww get over yourself," joked the girl as she dug into her potato sticks after hearing about Akira's worry. "Sakamoto-san has always been nice to us so what are you freaking out about?"

"How about the fact that someone she considers as good as a son is dating a former teacher," said Akira in a loud whisper. Even though they were in the attic of Leblanc, Akira didn't want anyone to hear what they were talking about. "I think it's safe to assume she's gonna flip her shit."

"Who's gonna do what now?"

Makoto wandered up with a bag of snacks and a cold soda in her hand.

"Akira's worried about what Sakamoto-san's gonna do if he brings Sadayo-san over." Futaba took the soda from Makoto and began gulping it happily.

"I see." Makoto set her school bag and snacks down on the table Akira and Futaba had set up when he'd arrived and begun pulling out her books. "I don't think you have too much to worry about. Yukiko-san is pretty understanding, and from what I remember, Ryuji said Sadayo and his mom got along well during teacher-parent conferences."

"That's when she thought Sadayo was only his teacher, not someone her son goes to the water parks or karaoke bars with." Akira checked his watch and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw he still had a half hour before he had to catch his train. "It's bad enough with how my parents reacted just finding out I was moving in with my girlfriend; imagine what that's gonna be like when they find out she's my old teacher."

"Futaba get your stuff out, Haru and Ryuji are gonna be here for study group soon," requested Makoto before returning her focus to Akira. "Then why don't you consider this a test run? Yukiko-san is a bit more hot-blooded than your parents so why not use her as a means of preparing yourself for when you take Sadayo-san home this summer."

"That's not gonna work," grumbled Akira as he stole one of the sticks from Futaba. "First of all Yukiko-san has a pre-existing relationship with her and knows who she is, my parents don't. And second, is that she's not my mother. She's not going to freak out like my parents because at the end of the day what she says doesn't hold as much weight. Yeah, her opinion matters to me, but I don't have to worry about Yukiko-san flipping out and trying to murder me."

"I'm gonna tell Sachiko-san you said that," mumbled Futaba as she began working on her math homework.

"Oh be quiet." Akira reached over and flicked Futaba on the side of the head. "You tell her that, and I'm not going to take you to Akihabara with us next Sunday to help find Eiko's stupid idol crap. Not to mention the fact that you'd miss out on the movie we're going to see."

"That's not fair," pouted Futaba; her eyes narrowing, "I worked my butt off finding those stores for you. Do you realize how many favors from weird-ass trolls I had to call in? Seriously, those randos got majorly creepy about those idols. I had to block a bunch of them from my PMs just to keep them from sending me weird pictures."

"Did you get their names," asked Makoto a bit worried by this revelation. "I can have sis get a few people from the police's cyber division to look into them. I mean you are underage so if they sent you anything illegal..."

"Thanks for the offer," chuckled Futaba, munching on the last of her potato sticks, "but it was mostly just words and if I found anything suspicious I can send it to the cops anonymously. Dunno if it'd do anything, but I figure if the dumbasses try it again I'll out them myself to all the people closest to them as well as the police. It's not that hard; those idiots barely know how to cover their tracks so it'd be easier than breaking into the broadcast systems network."

"Yeah, let's try to avoid mass hysteria again," laughed Akira as he stood up and stretched. "But just keep your cool, and we'll take you to the new Featherman movie after we get Eiko's stuff, okay?"

"You got a deal!" Futaba then returned to her homework with renewed vigor while Makoto shook her head.

Akira wasn't surprised to see that in his absence Futaba had slowly began taking over his old room. The tool bench was still there, covered in pieces of electronic equipment and even a sewing machine where she was teaching herself to make cosplay. The old shelves held several pieces of computer hardware and several fabrics. The tiny bed Akira had slept on had been replaced with a comfortable elevated futon that Futaba used when she stayed over to work on projects.

According to Sojiro, Futaba had decided to do this after realizing she'd have to move out one day and decided it would be an excellent way to see how independent she could become. It'd taken some time, but Futaba was slowly learning how to take care of herself and could even do her laundry without shrinking her clothes too much. There were, however, days where she'd ask one of the girls to stay the night with her since the restaurant tended to creak which resulted in Futaba one nearly breaking the rice cooker one night thinking there was an intruder.

After another twenty minutes of idle chatter, Akira finally decided that he'd need to begin making his way toward Central street.

"You have to leave right now?" Makoto set her pen aside and drank her water and began nibbling on one of her many daily snacks. "It's been weeks since we've hung out, can't you take the day off?"

"Can't," groaned Akira as he rolled his shoulder. "I need to make some extra money, and Iwai said he's backed up so I figured putting in a couple of extra hours wouldn't hurt. Plus I got a few custom orders to finish."

"All right," sighed Makoto in resignation before reaching into her bag and pulling out a protein bar. "Just in case you get hungry."

"I have plenty of food," smirked Akira as he pulled out his container that still held at least half the food he'd taken from Ryuji. "But I guess it never hurts to have a little extra."

"Smart move," chuckled Makoto as she handed over the bar. "Make sure you get ahold of Ann; she's been kind of worried about you and Yusuke lately."

"Why's she worried about Yusuke?" Akira was getting a little worried that something was going on with Ann, but he was glad that she was concerned about Yusuke as well.

As it had been with Ann, it'd been a while Akira had heard from Yusuke, but he knew the painter was busy prepping for a few exhibits and competitions. They still texted on occasion, but like Ann, Yusuke's career was beginning to move forward, and all they could do was support him while he pursued his dream.

"I don't know." Makoto sounded just as confused as Akira. "Last time I saw Yusuke, he was eating well and wasn't worried about money. I think it's just Ann being homesick."

"That sounds like her," said Akira with a slight nod. Ann hadn't been home since Christmas and even when she was she'd been so busy with acting, business, and language classes she'd had even less free time than Akira. "I'll send her an email when I'm on break tonight. Hopefully, she'll be home before too long. I kinda miss her and Yusuke's bickering."

"Just don't start anything," groaned Makoto as she began looking over Futaba's Japanese assignment. "Last time those two got into a fight they didn't talk for weeks."

"Whatever you say," shrugged Akira as he held up the protein bar and headed toward the stairs. "I'll see you guys later." Both girls said goodbye, and as Akira made his way through the restaurant, he made sure to pull up the hood on his sweater.

Despite the hype of the Phantom Thieves waning over the past year, several people who had visited the restaurant under the suspicion Akira was the leader had now made Leblanc their regular coffee spot. While Sojiro complained about the increase of customers, Akira knew he was glad that the cash register was consistently full.

"You heading out," asked Sojiro, not bothering to say Akira's name as the teen headed toward the door.

"Yeah, I gotta head to work. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye!" Haru looked slightly flustered but happy as she dished out food and drinks. "Oh, don't leave just yet!"

Haru disappeared behind the counter and pulled out two bags filled with something breaded and handed them over to Akira.

"What's this?" Akira took the unmarked bag and opened it, sniffing them cautiously. "Is this bao and curry buns?"

"Yeah," Haru gave him her usual warm smile and pointed at one of the bags, a nervous look on her face. "Just be careful with the one marked with an x. I was trying out a new filling with the pork, and I accidentally put in some of those hybrid chili's I've been cultivating, so be sure you don't get them confused. Oh, and you can bake these as well as fry or steam them, so give that a chance as soon as you can."

"Thanks for the warning." Akira put them into his bag and gave her a grateful smile in return. "I'll try and make them tonight for dinner if I get home early enough."

"I look forward to hearing how they taste," said Haru happily before being flagged down by a customer.

As he left, Akira made sure to thank Sojiro for letting him hang out and as he walked out the door, Akira nearly ran into a tired looking Ryuji.

"Heading off for your shift?"

"Yeah," chuckled Akira as he patted his friend on the shoulder. "Futaba and Makoto are upstairs, and Haru got pulled into the early dinner rush. Oh, and Makoto brought snacks."

"Sweet," yawned Ryuji as he took a swig of soda. "I'll see you later, man. Tell Iwai I said, hey."

Confirming that he would, Akira left his friends and made his way toward the train station. The trip was short, and as luck would have it, he was able to get a seat. Most people weren't bothering to talk to each other but those that did were friendly and smiling which made him feel a little warm inside. When he'd first showed up in Tokyo, everyone was miserable from the accidents and the state of the city, but seeing such happy faces made the nightmares bearable.

After leaving the station, Akira was greeted by the familiar sights and sounds of the city and ignored most of them. Even though he was in a sense retired, it was hard to keep himself from picking up on specific words or phrases that he'd gotten used to paying attention to back when he was looking for their next heist. This time it was something to do with a mother and father discussing how best to sneak their child's birthday present into the house without him knowing that triggered this idiosyncrasy. When he realized what it was they were trying to do, Akira headed toward "Untouchable" and entered the shop.

"You're early," coughed Iwai as he finished helping out one of their usual customers, a dark-skinned woman with long brown hair brown hair. She had a gruff demeanor, but she was pleasant enough to talk to if a little obsessive.

"You said we had extra work, so I'm here to work on the custom orders we got backed up" Akira gave the woman a curt nod, and she returned it in kind.

"One of those wouldn't happen to be the TPR request I put in would it?"

Akira could hear the anxiousness in the woman's voice and smirked when Iwai grumbled at Akira opening his mouth.

"Yeah, it is." Iwai popped a lozenge into his mouth and began quietly sucking on it. "I told you it was gonna be late, but it's the next one we're about to work on."

"Just as long as I finally get to hold it. I've been waiting weeks for this." The woman's face lit up like a child who was expecting a long-awaited birthday present and Akira had to turn his head to hide his laugh.

"You will if this idiot gets back there and gets to work." Iwai picked up an empty pellet tin and lobbed it at Akira, who promptly caught it.

"I'm going; I'm going." Akira set the container on the counter and wished the woman a good evening before getting to work.

It'd taken some time for him to get back into the swing of doing such meticulous work after spending a year working at a bakery, but after he was settled, Akira felt a sense of calm he never did working with Akane. Here he could focus on his work without having people or noise continuously bother him unless it was necessary. Putting his apron on and gathering his tools, Akira plugged into his phone and began listening to a recording of one of his lectures as he set to work on the airsoft sniper rifle the woman had ordered.

He became engrossed in work, the movement of the gears, the smell of the oil, and the smoothness of the metal and plastic. To some, it would have been tedious, but after a long day of sitting in lecture halls, it felt nice to focus on something more interesting than scribbling down notes and trying to answer questions. When he reached the end of the lecture, Akira had made some progress in finalizing the firing mechanism and was ready to move on to the loading system. Iwai hated it when he did things slightly out of order, but Akira couldn't resist. It just made more sense for him to do it his way and as far as he knew, no one had complained about his craftsmanship.

As a second lecture began, Akira realized he was still missing a few pieces and got up to collect them. While he rummaged through the supply boxes, he felt a hand tap his shoulder and reacted on instinct. Akira spun on the spot and grabbed the person by the wrist, ready to slam them against the wall until he saw a round-faced boy a few years younger than him staring back at him.

"Kaoru," panted Akira as he took a few deep breaths and released his friend. "What's going on?"

"Hey, Akira." The boy waved cautiously and took a few steps back, making sure he was out of reach. "Sorry for scaring you but Dad told me to come and tell you to take out your headphones; said he needs you to help me mind the store while he goes and runs an errand."

"Sure, I'll be out in a minute. Just….just let me catch my breath."

"No problem," replied Kaoru with a nervous smirk. "He said he's gonna be a bit so don't worry about rushing. I'll yell if I need you."

"Thanks, Kaoru."

The boy left with an apologetic smile, and when he was gone, Akira headed over to his bag and checked his phone finding the timing between Kaoru's arrival and the need for his medication rather funny. Taking the small orange bottle from his backpack, Akira headed back out into the central part of the shop and grabbed a bottled water from the mini-fridge Iwai kept hidden under the desk and downed the pill.

"What's that," asked Kaoru as he began going through the orders and checking some of their inventory.

"Here," said Akira holding out the bottle.

Kaoru took it and muttered, "Paxil? What's this for?"

"I've got some issues," chuckled Akira before taking another swig of water. "Your dad told you about some of the stuff I got into, and these pills are part of the treatment my psychiatrist is giving me. I also got something for nightmares but I usually only take those before bed."

"Things can get that bad?" Kaoru stopped his work and stared at Akira like he was an animal on exhibit.

"Depends on the day," Akira began putting away some of their stock as they continued talking. "Some nights I can barely sleep, so I end up staying awake most of the night and have to drink caffeine non-stop to make it through the next day."

"That doesn't sound good." Kaoru got up and helped Akira for a minute before a customer walked in and the younger man had to excuse himself.

It doesn't help, thought Akira to himself.

Lately, his insomnia had only been occurring during the weekend or when he didn't have classes, but he was still having issues falling asleep. Most nights he'd lay awake for a good two or three hours after Sadayo had finally passed out. He'd waste some of that time in the apartment building's gym or wandering the streets for an hour or two where every so often he'd find Haru or one of his other friends doing the same thing. ON those occasions they'd spend some time at a family restaurant or cafe and chat before finally feeling tired enough to go home to sleep.

When the customer was gone, Kaoru went back to helping Akira for a bit longer and their conversation soon slipped into talking about Kaoru attending Shujin.

"It's actually pretty fun," laughed the younger man as he adjusted his glasses. "Most of my teachers have been really nice, and I'm passing all my classes. Since Dad's been distracted with work which has been a huge relief."

"Why's that," asked Akira as he shoved the last box of ammunition onto the shelf.

"Because he's not on my case all the time about getting my schoolwork done." A roguelike grin spread across Kaoru's face which made Akira chuckle.

"So you've been slacking off," Akira asked as he chucked a ball of packing paper at Kaoru's head.

"Not that much." Kaoru rubbed the spot where the paper had hit him. "I'm turning in all my assignments and passing my tests with flying colors, so it's not like I got anything to worry about."

"If you don't change that attitude of yours, you're gonna be dealing with more than failing grades."

Kaoru jumped at the sound of his father's voice while Akira continued his work as if nothing unusual was going on.

"Hi Dad," chuckled Kaoru nervously as he turned around to face his father. "You heard all that?"

"Damn right I did." Iwai scratched his chin before flicking his son on the forehead. "You been sneaking out when you've been telling me you're home studying?"

"No!" Kaoru's voice was shaky and Iwai's eyes flashed threateningly.

"Tell me the truth, Kaoru." Iwai's voice was a dangerous growl and Akira couldn't help but smirk at the middle-aged man's disappointment.

"Umm, well…," Kaoru looked at Akira but was disappointed to see his friend had abandoned the conversation to help a customer.

"Backroom, now," ordered Iwai and Kaoru nodded heavily before shuffling to the back room, leaving Akira and the customer alone.

"Kid's been goofing off," asked the older man as he finished paying for his cartridges.

"Seems that way," chuckled Akira as he finished ringing up the CO2 containers. "He's a good kid though."

"Yeah I know," agreed the older man. "I've been coming here for years, ever since he was in elementary school. It's nice to see his dad's done a good job with him."

Akira nodded quietly, and the man added a few boxes of both soft and lead rounds to his order before leaving. Shortly after he was gone, Kaoru stepped out looking pale and frightened before sayingIwai needed Akira for something and took the chair behind the counter.

Entering the back room, Akira found Iwai sitting at the workbench going through some firing and reloading motions with one of the pistols Akira had finished on his previous shift. Putting in some soft rounds, Iwai loaded in a new cartridge and handed it to Akira. Iwai didn't need to say what he wanted Akira to do and just watched as the test was run. The firing motion was smooth and whatever kickback the gun had was negligible. Akira could see a small glimmer of admiration in Iwai's eyes as he continued barraging the test dummy with soft rounds.

When he made it through the third clip, Iwai told him it was enough and took the gun, loaded a fresh clip, and fired off several rounds before setting it down, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Good job, kid," coughed Iwai as he stuck a toothpick in his mouth. Ever since his visit to the dentist, the man had been weaning himself off of the sweets with other means. "I'll call the client about this order after we test the other two."

Iwai went over to the shelf where the other guns Akira had been working on were stored and began checking the other pistol while Akira tested a rifle. They spent a good half-hour with each, the rifle handled fine, but the pistol jammed a few times, and after a couple of modifications, Iwai gave them the green light to get sold after explaining to Akira how to fix the problems. After that Akira returned to working on his previous job and was nearly done when he heard Iwai shout at him over the sound of one of his lectures.

"What is it," he asked after stepping out into the front of the building, taking notice of a now absent Kaoru. "Where's Kaoru?"

"I sent him home already," yawned Iwai, holding out a brown envelope. "It's closing time and those customers will be by to pick up their orders on your next shift, they want to talk to you."

"Why? Did I do something wrong?" This was the first time a customer had asked to speak to Akira personally.

"Not yet," grinned Iwai malevolently. "I told them that you were the one who worked on their guns. Until lately I've been handling any complaints about your work by saying I did it."

"I haven't lost you any customers have I?" The last thing Akira needed were people complaining about him and losing Iwai business.

"Naw," said Iwai waving away the question. "Any complaints you've had have been mild and I could fix them while you were back there working. But, since I've had you working on so much lately, you gotta learn how to deal with the customers if you screw up an order. These may not be real guns but you screw up something, bad things can happen and you're gonna have to learn how to correct them right away to avoid accidents."

"Makes sense," agreed Akira before finally taking the envelope from Iwai. It was a little thicker than last time and Akira raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I've decided to start including a bit extra since you've been doing such a good job lately." Iwai stood up and yawned again and clapped Akira on the shoulder. "So, don't shit your pants when you see how much extra I'm gonna start throwing in, okay?"

"Uhh, sure." Akira wasn't sure how to take that comment, but he decided to take Iwai at his word and chose to wait until he got home to check out how much had been added to his pay.

"Smart move." Iwai pointed his thumb over his shoulder and asked, "You wanna hit the diner? I hear they've got some killer new specialty items in their hidden menu."

"Not tonight, but thanks." Akira wandered over to his bag and pulled out one of the plastic bags Haru had given him. "My friend Haru made me some food she wants me to try out. I think she made too much if you wanna take some with you?"

"Curry buns and bao?" Iwai reached into the bag and pulled one out and sniffed it. His eyes grew wide and filled with tears as he put the bun back into the bag. "What the hell is in those things?! I like spicy but holy….is she a sadist?"

"Kinda," chuckled Akira as he sealed the bag after realizing he'd opened up the dangerous one. "She likes using people as experiments with her cooking, but she means well...normally. You should have seen what she was like in the old days when we had to deal with Phantom Thief stuff; she was scarier than some of the people we had to deal with."

"This is that little rich girl, right?" Iwai was dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief and coughing. "The one who always wears that pink sweater?"

"The same," chuckled Akira; stuffing the food back in his bag.

"Well, keep that away from me. I don't want anything to do with it." Iwai gave one last cough and waved at the door. "Get the hell outta here. I'll see you day after tomorrow all right?"

"Have a good night." Akira left without another word, while Iwai complained loudly about his nose being on fire.

As he wandered toward the station, Akira pulled his phone out and saw a message from Sadayo saying that she was home and working on making a late dinner. Smiling, he sent a reply back and said he was on the train to which she posted a few overly excited emojis. It amazed him with how often she complained about him being child-like that Sadayo tended to act like a teenager whenever she was excited.

After getting comfortable, Akira returned to listening to some of his lectures, emailed Ann, and began writing some notes in a journal similar to the one Sojiro had given him a couple of years back. Thanks to the massive amount of notes he'd been taking, Akira had already filled four of them without much effort and made a note to start buying them in bulk or at least some larger books.

By the time he reached his stop, Akira had filled in the last several pages of his notebook and felt satisfied with his progress for the day. He still had two papers due next week, but they were almost done and Akira figured he could finish them on Sunday. For now, he just wanted to get home and put some food in his stomach.

"I'm home," he shouted from the doorway as he took his shoes off. Something smelt good and a loud gurgle emanated from his belly.

"Akira! You might wanna get in there!" A fluffy blur of black and white fur came streaking from the kitchen and began pawing at his leg.

"What's the matter with you?" Akira made the motion to pick Mona up and the cat agreed.

"She's making something weird for me to try!" Mona sounded scared and he began pulling at Akira's shirt with his claws.

"What are you talking about? Sadayo never makes you food." Akira knew that Sadayo took feeding Mona seriously but she'd never gone so far as to cook for him.

"Go into the kitchen and see for yourself! She said it was for me and you know I'm not a fan of zucchini!"

"Relax, Mona. I'm pretty sure she's not going to feed you zucchini." Akira scratched behind the cat's ears and made his way toward the kitchen where he saw Sadayo moving around the kitchen wearing a blue tank top, sweats, and an old apron.

She was smiling to herself as some show played on the radio. On the counter, there was a pan filled with vegetables while the rice cooker bellowed out steam. This was the first time in the past couple of weeks that she didn't look dead on her feet and it made Akira want to hold her.

"I'm back," he said quietly when he realized she was so caught up in her cooking that she hadn't heard him walk in.

"Hi!" Sadayo stopped what she was doing and patted Mona on the head before giving Akira a long kiss.

"Yuck," groaned Mona as he hopped out of Akira's arms and wandered off toward his bowl. "Seriously can you stop making out and talk to her about my food."

"He's been making a lot of noise ever since I made a joke about feeding him vegetables." Sadayo winked at Akira and headed back to the food. "I don't know how you got such a temperamental cat. I've seen cats that are smart but he seems to be on a whole other level."

"Yeah," chuckled Akira giving Mona a nervous glance. "He sure is something."

The cat gave his partner a nasty look at still being considered what he called, "a common stray."

Sighing Akira left the kitchen and came back with the bags that Haru had given him and showed them off to Sadayo.

"What's this?" Sadayo, like Iwai, opened the bag of spicy buns and held them away from her nose. "What on Earth is that?"

"Buns and bao, courtesy of Haru." Akira poured them out onto a baking sheet and stared down at them. "I guess we should figure out how to cook them before..."

"Why the heck would I want to eat something like that?" Sadayo coughed and looked at Akira. "What's Haru playing at giving you something like that?"

"Hey! Did you forget about my issues with her teasing me about my food?!" Mona trotted over and stared up at his roommates.

"Will you shut up about the zucchini!" Akira dropped down and poked Mona in his face. "She said it was a joke and you're being a brat about this. Nobody has ever fed you something you don't like so just calm down."

"How did you know about the zucchini?"

Akira and Mona both froze in place and stared up at a confused Sadayo.

"Um," Akira gave Mona another glance and the cat gave him a look that said Akira was on his own.

"Akira?" Sadayo crossed her arms and stared down at her boyfriend, looking distraught. "How'd you know I teased him about zucchini? I made that joke almost forty-five minutes ago you shouldn't know about that."

"Guess, I can't avoid it anymore." Akira sighed and stood up, scratching his head.

"What do you mean, 'avoid'? What have you been avoiding?" The rice cooker dinged, and she let go of his hand and unplugged it before returning to her boyfriend. "Akira, what's going on you're starting to scare me."

"It's nothing to be afraid of...well not really." Akira pulled her toward the couch and had her sit before grabbing a pen and paper. "You know how you've been making comments about Mona being smarter than most cats? Well, you're right he is."

"I figured," she chuckled as she sat down and stared at the cat who'd followed them out. "Remember how I walked in on him using the toilet? I scared him so much that he nearly fell in."

"You have no idea how close I was to clawing your eyes out, lady." Mona climbed up onto the opposite couch and stared at Sadayo rather indifferently.

Akira laughed to himself when he remembered that night. He'd been lost in a dream where he was relaxing with Sadayo in a large bath and sipping sake when he woke up to the sounds of Mona and Sadayo screaming at one another. It'd taken her a bit of convincing, but Sadayo finally accepted that Mona was toilet trained after about five minutes of Akira's make-shift explanations.

"I know it takes some training to do that and I'm impressed that Mona has been trained for so long. It finally clicked as to why you didn't have a litter box for him."

"That's not actually why." Akira sat down on the couch next to Sadayo and set out the pen and paper. "Well, I mean that's part of the reason, but he's also more of an outdoor cat, so if you take those two things into account it's not surprising we don't need one."

"Sure saves on having to figure out what to do about the smell." Sadayo gave Mona wink which didn't help the cat's disposition.

"What's with the pen and paper," she finally asked, staring down at the table. "Are you going to have Mona take notes?"

"Actually," Akira waved Mona over and the cat chuckled loudly, "you're not that far off. See Mona isn't just smarter than a normal cat. He's as smart as a human, and he can read and write, not to mention fix a car."

Sadayo stared at Akira for a few moments, before her mouth contorted before finally splitting apart into a massive smile as laughter erupted from deep in her belly.

"That's a good one," She laughed pointing at the paper and pen as a tear rolled down her cheek. When she calmed a bit, Sadayo shook her head and patted Akira on the head before standing up and shaking her head. "You've pulled some good ones on me before, but I'm not falling for this."

Amazed that she wouldn't give him the benefit of the doubt, especially after all he'd told her about Mementos. Reaching out, Akira gently took her by the wrist and pulled her back to the table and said, "Ask him a question."

"Seriously?" Akira could see the disbelief in her eyes and felt a small pain when she said, "Akira, I'm not falling for this. A cat being able to use a toilet is one thing, but to be able to read and write? How dumb do you think I am?"

She reached for the paper, but Akira stopped her with a look and quietly repeated, "Please, ask him a question."

This time she stopped and gave him a look of disbelief that was wiped away when she saw how somber he was. Against her better judgment, Sadayo swallowed her pride and asked, "Morgana, where do I work?"

Sadayo watched in amazement as Morgana approached the pen and with some effort took it in his mouth and wrote, "You're a teacher at Shujin Academy.

Akira watched as Sadayo's hand flew to her mouth, and her legs give out. She collapsed on the couch and stared between Mona and Akira, her finger pointing at the cat as Akira smiled and Mona laughed.

"Th...the...the cat...Akira...Mona...Mona.."

"Relax." Akira took her hands and began rubbing them with his thumbs. "Just breathe and focus on me."

"Our cat can write," she gasped as Mona began patting the pen with his paw. "The cat knows what I said and he answered me."

"And I can understand what he says," explained Akira as he continued massaging her shaking hands.

"H...how?" She turned her eyes on Akira, her face a hurricane of emotions. "How the hell can that cat understand what I'm saying?"

"It's just the way he is." Akira reached out and pat Mona on the head and the cat chuckled with pride. "Remember what I told you about how Ryuji and I got trapped in Kamoshida's Palace on my first day?"

"Don't tell me Mona followed you in and he's some sort of mutant cat?" Sadayo gave Mona a pitied look that made the cat groan.

"Please correct her, Akira." Mona stretched and walked toward the couple. "I think she's gonna need more than a five-minute explanation to know why I'm a superior model compared to most of the cats in this world."

"I will," replied Akira as he patted Morgana on the head.

"What'd he say?" Sadayo looked nervously between the two before focusing on her boyfriend. "Akira, what'd he say?"

"He wants me to tell you that he's not a mutant." Sadayo clutched his hand as he moved to refused to let it go until he caressed her cheek and said it would be okay. When she relented, he grabbed his laptop and set up Mona with his word processor and after testing the keyboard turned it over to the cat.

"Don't tell me he can type too!?" Sadayo's eyes grew wide as Akira loaded up his word processor and Mona began testing out the keyboard.

"This isn't real," she panted as Akira left the living room again and grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge.

When he came back to the living room, Akira handed her one of the cans, and she wasted little time in opening it, draining half of it, and asked, "Mona, how much do you know about Akira and me?"

Mona looked at Akira who nodded, and the cat shook his head and typed out, "I know about your part-time job if that's what you're getting at. Remember I've been with Akira since he first became a Phantom, which means I know about the deal you two made."

"Is that true," gulped Sadayo after drinking more of her beer. "He knows everything about us?"

"Yeah," nodded Akira as he sat back down and squeezed her free hand. "He knows about just about everything."

"Not everything," typed out Mona hastily. "I don't hang around all the time. You ever notice how I tend to disappear whenever you two decide to have some private time?"

"I guess I should be thankful." Sadayo took the second can and began sipping it while glaring at Akira.

"What?" Akira knew that look and he began looking nervously around the room.

"Don't 'what' me." Sadayo slammed the beer down, spraying a bit on the table. "You know damn well how I feel about you hiding stuff like this from me and you lied to me for almost two years!"

"You know I wouldn't have if I could have avoided it!" Akira knew most of this was bluster, but she wasn't without merit. He never liked keeping secrets from her and he was beginning to wish he hadn't kept so many. "But can you honestly say you would have believed me if I'd told you about him being able to talk, before you accepted the truth about Mementos?"

"Well...no...not really." Sadayo's face was a mild red, partially from her anger, but mostly from the two cans of beer, she'd downed in rapid succession. "But you could have said something after you moved in! I've spent two years thinking you got used to talking to him out of loneliness. Instead, you've been having full-blown conversations with him!"

Sadayo turned so quickly that Mona jumped back in surprise.

"What' does she want?" Mona's eyes were wide with some fear and Akira shrugged.

"What'd he say?" Sadayo glared back at Akira who held up his hands in surrender.

"He just wants to know what you want," chuckled Akira nervously.

"I want to know," Sadayo finished the last few drops of alcohol and inched toward the cat. "I want to know what exactly his lazy butt got up to while I was stuck cleaning his room and doing laundry back when you were in Tokyo."

"Ummm," Mona looked to Akira for advice, but Sadayo moved between them.

"Don't you look at him, you know all my dirty secrets so now I get to know his."

"Sadayo, I didn't..."

"I'm asking Mona," Sadayo answered with a slight slur. "Not you, Mr. Hide-everything-until-the-last-minute. If you want to be useful, please get me another beer and finish dinner; this is gonna take awhile."

"Akira," pleaded Mona but the former leader of the Phantom Thieves did as his girlfriend bid.

By the time Akira had finished cooking their dinner, Sadayo had downed two more cans of beer and Mona had written several pages of information in response to her questions. Once the cat had asked Akira if he should lie for him, but Akira shook his head no. It was terrible enough Sadayo was upset about hiding Mona from her, but to lie about Mementos and their jobs as thieves, that was something Akira didn't want to risk.

After her fifth can of beer and a third plate, Akira was tempted to give her a spicy bun as a joke but his conscience forbade it. Sadayo seemed appeased for the evening. Whether it was the food, tiredness, alcohol, or a mixture of three the woman finally let up and said the cat was free for the evening.

"I'm gonna question you some more soon, Mona." Sadayo was cuddled up with a pillow and staring at the laptop screen. "I don't know when but I will."

"Of course," typed out the cat before looking at Akira. "Can I head out now? I kinda need to get some air."

"What do you say, warden?" Akira attempted to put his hand on Sadayo's thigh, but she pulled it away and huffed. "Can Mona be let out for a bit?"

"Sure," mumbled the woman as she squeezed the pillow. "Can he shut the window when he comes back in?"

Mona typed out a, "Yes," on the computer screen and Sadayo nodded and waved lazily at the window.

"Then fly free little kitty. I thank you for your honesty and shall get you some special food as recompense."

"Take care of her," chuckled Mona as he walked over to the window with Akira. "You know how she gets when she's stressed."

"Binge eating and booze," chuckled Akira as he opened the window enough for the cat to head out onto the small porch. "I'm used to it by now."

"Quit talking about me," snipped Sadayo before nailing Akira in the head with her pillow. "Now that I know he can talk I'm gonna be paying closer attention."

"Good luck," snickered Mona as he climbed down the tree that was just outside their window.

When the cat was gone, Akira picked up the pillow and headed over to the couch and dropped down next to Sadayo and patted her on the hip.

"I'm still mad at you," she pouted as she pulled her hip away. "All these months I thought he was just a normal cat and I opened up all these worries and frustrations to him. Did you all have a nice laugh at my expense?"

"What are you talking about?" Akira tried to stroke her arm but ended up with her hand on his face, forcing him back.

"About my part-time jobs and the Takase's." Akira could see tears in Sadayo's eyes and wanted to try and comfort her, but she just pushed him away again. "You heard Mona, you guys had to deal with them for me which means the others heard about my jobs and how I let them use me. I bet they had a good laugh at my expense."

"What makes you think they laughed at you?" Akira kept his hands away but ready to comfort her if needed.

"They weren't exactly the most welcoming when we met, and Ryuji was outside the apartment when I showed up. I know he heard me when I approached the back door."

"No, he didn't." Akira was trying to bite back a laugh, but the look on her face stopped him. "None of them know about _that_ job. They just know you worked a lot of jobs to pay off some blackmailers."

"Sure they do." Sadayo sniffed and buried herself into the couch. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"Is this my loving girlfriend talking or the booze-guzzling garbage disposal?"

"I'm not a garbage disposal." Sadayo turned around and stuck her tongue out. "You know I tend to stress eat in situations like this. If you think this is bad, you should have seen what I looked like when you were in jail."

"I don't think I could live through that." Akira rested his chin on the couch cushion and gazed lovingly into her eyes. "I barely made it through you describing it. How do you think I'd react to seeing you like that now?"

"You're gonna see a lot of it since we're living together." Sadayo looked like she was calming down, but she still looked stressed from telling him about her frustrations. "This is just the first of many situations like this."

"I'll set aside beer money for you," sighed Akira as he moved away from the couch. "We just bought that six-pack, and there's only one left."

"Oh shut up." Sadayo shot up and began poking him in the chest with her toe. "It's been a long couple of weeks. I'm stressed, and those are the first beers I've had since you moved in." Sadayo attempted to push him away with her foot, but he caught it and rested it on his shoulder. She could feel his hand beginning to work at the knots in her legs.

"You aren't kidding," muttered Akira as he began removing a particularly nasty knot. "Your calves have never been this knotted."

"I've been going non-stop, just like you," whimpered Sadayo as the pain built. "We got that trip planned at the end of my summer vacation; I can't leave any work unfinished."

"Think you'll be able to handle it?" A smirk spread across Akira's face as he saw the blush return to Sadayo's face.

Though Sadayo hadn't talked to his parents yet, they'd already had the date of their vacation planned out, and Sadayo had been stressed about that on top of work.

"Please stop," whimpered Sadayo as Akira began moving up to her thigh.

"Why?" Akira removed his hand and rested it on her shin. "You said you were stressed and I was helping out?"

"You know, why." Sadayo lifted her foot and poked him in the face with her toe, trying to knock his glasses off. "You start with a massage, and then you try and move on to other things. I'm not falling for it tonight, not after all that."

"Calm down," sighed Akira as he moved away from his girlfriend's foot. His glasses came off, and he narrowed his eyes as Sadayo pulled her foot away. "Am I still being punished? I already finished dinner and let you get drunk. Now you don't want a massage, so I'm at a loss here."

"You're doing fine," muttered Sadayo as she decided to star tapping her foot against his face. "I'm still upset about the whole thing with, Mona, though."

"I figured," Akira grumbled as Sadayo continued prodding him with her foot.

"You'll get over it." Sadayo pulled her foot away and let out a loud yawn as she stretched. "I'll make sure you're properly punished as soon as I'm able."

"Is that why you stopped me?" Akira rolled his eyes and tugged at her sweats. "You know I'm fully aware of what you wearing these means. I'm not an idiot."

"You're kind of an idiot." Sadayo giggled and poked him in the cheek again with her foot.

"So are you." Akira pulled away from her foot and began clearing up the dishes.

"Leave them," grunted Sadayo as she stood up and twisted. Her back popped a bit, and she groaned in relief as she took her boyfriend by the hand and pulled him toward the bedroom.

"I thought you said you weren't interested in doing things..."

Sadayo giggled, and once the bedroom door was shut, she pulled him into a tight kiss and began tugging at his shirt.

"We're both uninterested in doing _that_ right now." Sadayo pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the floor before kissing his scars. "But that doesn't mean I can't punish you in other ways. Right Aki-kun?"

Akira rolled his eyes at this sudden change of pace, but if it helped her relax, then he was all for it. Leaning down, he kissed her and let out a deep growl when he felt her teeth bite down on his lip. Following her lead, Akira moved backward toward the bed and chuckled when he felt her begin to push him down onto the mattress.

"You didn't answer my question," she whispered as she began nibbling on his earlobe. Her hands began unfastening his pants while her lips moved lower. "Are you willing to accept your punishment?"

Akira hissed when she felt her cold hands move inside his shorts, making his hips rise off the mattress. As she began stroking his growing erection, Akira heard her repeat her question and when a nail scratched the head of his cock, he was finally able to choke out a, "Yes ma'am," before letting her take control.he was finally able to choke out a, "Yes ma'am," before letting her take control.


	6. Chapter 6

So….this story is gonna get really anime in a few chapters. Just as a heads up. Thanks for sticking around guys. Again I'm sorry for the long chapters; I hope you guys are enjoying them I love knowing you guys are out there and supporting this!

Also, this is gonna be my last chapter for a bit. I'm broke, and I can't afford to pay for a fee in regards to software that's been helping me with my writing so I'll continue to write, but not post for a bit. Sorry about this guys. This is a shorter chapter, and honestly, I don't know how it's gonna go. Truthfully though, I've been a bit distracted lately and gotta get my focus back.

Sorry if this chapter is disappointing.

I'm gonna be using Ann for this Chapter. Next few we'll have some more, and we'll be getting into some more confidants VERY soon before moving onto a certain long-awaited meeting.

Chapter 6

Sadayo let out a loud yawn and stretched across the couch, basking in the warm late spring sunlight.

Picking up the book, she'd been reading she flipped through the pages and found where she was and took a sip of her water as the tv played a news report. It was one of the few Saturdays off she had during the year, and she was enjoying it as much as she could while Akira was out running errands for Iwai.

They'd barely finished their breakfast when Akira got the call and had asked if Sadayo minded. She didn't since Iwai rarely ever called and if he needed the help, it must have been something significant. After a quick kiss and an "I love you," Akira left while she cleaned up before finishing some small chores before deciding to lounge around the rest of the day.

As she got to the part of the story where the heroine was facing down some corrupt politician, Sadayo felt a familiar weight on her stomach. Resting the book on her chest, she found Mona staring at her.

"What?"

Sadayo still wasn't used to the fact that Morgana could understand her every word and since she'd found out about it, she'd been watching what she said whenever the cat was around. It wasn't because she distrusted him, in fact, she'd had several more conversations where Mona had told her about Akira's other friends. She was surprised to hear that her boyfriend had gotten chummy with Yoshida and then there was learning that he'd made friends with a reporter, not to mention his connection to the shogi champion whose mother had arranged several fixed matches.

In response to her question, the cat let out a loud meow and walked over to the tablet Akira had left set up for him. Mona pressed a few keys and pointed at the screen.

Picking up the tablet, Sadayo read what the cat wrote and shook her head.

"Yes, I got your special food for all your help." Sadayo set the tablet down and scratched the cat's ear. "I didn't forget, and you're going to get some soon. Just let me read some more, and I'll be sure to make you a nice plate before we leave, okay?"

The cat mewed and nuzzled her hand appreciatively before curling up between her legs.

"Yeah, let's not do that now." Sadayo picked Mona up and gave him a tap on the nose. "I'm still getting used to you being as smart as a person, so it just makes you laying there a bit weird."

The cat snorted and squirmed out of her hands before jumping out the open window and onto the landing.

"Well, excuse me."

Sadayo gave the cat a sneer and picked her book back up and was ready to get back into the scene when a knock came from the door. Growling about a wasted day off, she set her book down and made her way to the door. She felt something on the bottom of her foot and noticed what looked like crumbs and hastily brushed away the stray crumbs from the cookies she'd eaten off the tee-shirt she'd stolen from Akira's dresser. Peeking out through the peephole, she saw no one on the other side and was ready to return to her book when another knock echoed throughout the apartment.

Having enough, Sadayo swung the door open and stuck her head out shouting, "I swear to god if this is some kind of prank I'm going to..."

Sadayo stopped talking when a bubbly, blonde haired girl popped up out of nowhere with a garment bag slung over her shoulder and a massive smile on her face.

"Surprise!"

Sadayo fell back into the entryway and felt a sharp pain in her back as her ass met the ground.

"ANN?! What the hell are you doing here?"

Sadayo hadn't heard anything about her arrival from Akira or the others but was happy to see her nonetheless. After being gone for so long, Sadayo was amazed to see how different she looked. Instead of pigtails, her hair was pulled back in a braid that went down to her shoulders and wore a simple summer outfit of loose fitting jeans and a green tank-top. She was also somewhat tan and was looking even fitter than the last time Sadayo had seen her.

"Hello to you too." Ann looked mildly dejected but humored at her friend's reaction and offered a helping hand.

"Sorry," Sadayo took the hand and was pulled into a short but tight hug. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too."

Sadayo stepped aside, and Ann accepted the invitation. After taking off her shoes, Ann walked into the living room and smiled at the familiar surroundings.

"It's been a long time since I've been here." Ann set the bag down and dropped onto the couch with a long sigh. "I like what you two have done with the place."

"Thanks." Sadayo stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of juices. "It's still a work in progress, but we're making it work. He's been having some issues with sleeping, and sometimes he wanders at night, but it's nothing we can't handle."

"Yeah, the others have been saying the same thing." Ann sipped her juice and let out a loud sigh. "They said they've been doing the same thing. Hell, a couple of nights ago Futaba told me they went to one of those twenty-four-hour arcades until almost four in the morning."

"All of them?" Sadayo knew Akira had spent some time with Futaba, but she hadn't heard anything about the others.

"No, just her and Akira." Ann swirled her juice and shrugged. "I heard she's been staying the night in the attic at LeBlanc. I can't believe she's grown enough to do something like that."

"It is pretty amazing," Sadayo chuckled at the memory of when Futaba had given her the grand tour of her little makeshift apartment. "She's quite proud of it, and Sojiro-san doesn't seem to mind as long as she keeps it quiet during business hours."

"That sounds like Boss." Ann gave Sadayo a dry smile and sipped her juice.

"Are you okay?" Sadayo set her juice down and gave Ann a worried look.

"It's just been a long couple of months." Ann set her glass down and ran a hand through her hair. "I've been to Europe, Africa, and America. I've had a few auditions for some shows, and I'm waiting on a couple of callbacks. Then there's all my language and business classes. On top of that, I've been having a lot of the same problems as the others."

Ann leaned back and rested her head on the back of the couch and rubbed her eyes. "I just want to crawl into bed and sleep for the next week."

"Do you think you can afford to take that much time off?" Sadayo knew Ann could be called for a shoot at a moments notice and wondered if her agents could respect her wishes enough to give her that much time off.

"I told them I would," smirked Ann after rubbing her face. "I said that I was going to take the next couple of months off and if they called me in for a job I was gonna rip them a new one."

"I don't doubt it," laughed Sadayo nervously. "Well, it's good to have you home. I know you've been trying to get ahold of everyone, especially Akira and Yusuke."

"Only because those jackasses never seem to pick up their phones!" Ann bolted upright and slammed her hand down on the table. "Seriously I have no trouble getting in contact with our other friends, but those two idiots take weeks just to reply to a single email! It's not that hard to tell someone 'hello' or reply to an email!"

"I know," Sadayo said calmly, gesturing for Ann to keep her voice down. "But, you all are going your separate ways, and people are bound to forget to call you back or reply to an email. It happens to me all the time with the friends I made in high school."

"I know," pouted Ann as she glared across the coffee table at her old teacher. "It's just that for the past few weeks I've needed someone to talk to, someone who understands."

Sadayo knew full well what her friend was referring. All of them, including Akira, were trying to make sense of how to live healthy lives now and even those that were seeing specialists were still feeling lost. Even Akira, who seemed to enjoy his visits with his psychiatrist left some of his sessions feeling more confused than when he entered. However, despite his confusion, he seemed more focused and intent on making things better for himself and his friends, even if he didn't fully understand how.

It was no surprise Ann was feeling the same way. Sadayo didn't know if she'd been seeking help, but she had to imagine that the time away from her friends wasn't helping. Ann had gone through more than the others in some ways, and despite her resolve, according to Akira, Ann had her moments of weakness just like the rest of them.

"Have you been talking to someone," inquired Sadayo after a few tense moments of quiet.

"Yeah." Ann held up two fingers and said, "Twice a week for an hour. It's helping, but I just want to hear a familiar voice or have a close friend that I can hang out with and talk about it without having to gloss over the details. Honestly, though, I was surprised when Akira told us how much you knew. Have you been handling it okay? It took us all a while to get used to it."

"It's been a challenge." Sadayo wasn't sure if Akira had told her about their latest hurdle involving Mona, but she knew about everything else. "But like you said, sometimes he needs a person who understands everything you've all experienced. But I'm glad he tells me as much as he does, even if I don't understand it all."

"I'm jealous you know." Ann finished her juice and shook her head. "I thought it'd be nice traveling around the world and everything, but I miss it. I miss having people around, and when I think about you and Akira at least being there to comfort each other, I get a bit jealous of the two of you."

"Well you're back now," Sadayo said with a warm smile. "At least for a bit and you'll be around the people who know you best. And hey," Sadayo reached out and took Ann's hand, "you know you're welcome to come over and talk whenever you like. I haven't sat in on any of Akira's sessions, but his doctor told me that it's always easier to talk when you need to."

"You might be right. Thanks, Sadayo." Ann gave her friend's hand a gentle squeeze and stretched out and grabbed the bag she'd brought with her and held it out to Sadayo. "By the way, I got that thing you asked me to bring back. My friend is a bit bigger than I thought so it might be a little loose."

"You actually got it?" Sadayo stood up and took the bag gleefully. She unzipped it, and a lecherous smile spread across her face as she began inspecting the outfit she'd been waiting weeks for.

"What do you need that for, anyway?" Ann had been curious about Sadayo's request for the outfit ever since she'd first heard it but hadn't dared to ask. "You two going to a costume party or something?"

"Not exactly." Sadayo zipped the bag back up and got off the couch and waved for Ann to follow her into the bedroom. "Come on, last time we talked you mentioned something about needing one of my suits."

Ann gave another loud groan and followed her into the room and laughed when she saw the small mess that had accumulated over the last week.

"This is definitely a room Akira lives in." Ann kicked a pair of old jeans out of the way and followed Sadayo to the closet and began going through the clothes. She let out a small laugh when she found a long-sleeved dress shirt and ran her fingers along the fabric. "It's nice to see he's gotten some new clothes."

"He's had those for a while," chuckled Sadayo as she hung up the garment bag. "We just never have any reason to wear them."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ann squeezed Sadayo on the shoulder and smiled. "But Akira told me you guys are visiting his parents next month. I'm pretty sure you guys'll find a reason to dress up while you're there. Are you excited?"

Sadayo grimaced at the mention of meeting Akira's parents. They had both swapped stories about one another's parents over the past year, but neither of them had talked to or seen the others as of yet. According to Akira, his dad had been swamped with some cases a police friend had brought him in on, and his mom was planning the opening of her fourth restaurant in a nearby city. Sadayo's, on the other hand, weren't nearly as busy but instead, they just didn't have as much contact ever since Sadayo had moved to Tokyo; something she was ashamedly grateful for.

"Sadayo?" Ann reached out and poked her old teacher in the cheek. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Sadayo playfully swatted Ann's finger away and began searching through the closet.

"I am excited to visit them." Sadayo felt the familiar lump form in her throat as she began thinking about what his parents would say. "Excited and scared out of my mind."

"It'll be all right." Ann gave Sadayo a thumbs up and said, "Sachiko-san and Osamu-san are fairly laid-back people. But they do take time to warm up to others. But that might have been because their son showed up with a cat and six complete strangers."

"That couldn't have helped," Sadayo smirked as she began digging through more of her clothes. "I could have sworn it was in here this isn't that big of a closet."

"Want some help?" Ann began rummaging through the closet along with Kawakami and noticed that the teacher looked frantic.

"No, Ann it's fine, I'm sure I can…," but it was too late. Ann had already moved the ratty old hoodie Akira had given Sadayo the previous summer, revealing a faded, but lovingly cared for black and white maid outfit.

Ann stopped and stared at Sadayo and then back at the maid's uniform, a look of embarrassed surprise on her face and after a moment her face split in a huge smile as she loudly exclaimed, "This is so adorable!"

Sadayo felt like she was about to pass out as Ann pulled the maid outfit out and began examining it.

"I mean it's not the best material, but that doesn't mean it's not good quality." Ann held the uniform against her chest and began comparing her size to Ann's. "I had to wear something like this once for a small background role on a show I did a couple of months back in New York. It was so itchy that I had to do that thing bears do against a pillar to make my back feel better. Who or what is 'Victoria'?"

"It's uhh…." Sadayo couldn't the words as Ann excitedly continued her inspection of Sadayo's secret shame. "It's the name…."

"Was this a work uniform," Ann asked rather brazenly. She was inspecting some of the frayed hems of the uniform while occasionally casting Sadayo a curious glance. "I'm not judging you or anything if it was. I mean I have a couple of friends who work at maid cafes; one of them is even the manager. It's nothing to be embarrassed about if that's what your part-time job was. But that does make sense about why Akira and you don't talk about…"

A worried look spread across Ann's face, and the blonde nervously asked, "This is clean right?"

"Yeeeessss," Sadayo was caught between laughter and embarrassment and her word came out sounding more like air being released from a balloon. "I cleaned it myself, and I haven't worn it in months, so you're safe."

"Okay, good." Ann let out a heavy sigh of relief before handing the maid uniform back to Sadayo. "I didn't overstep did I?'

"A bit." Sadayo took the outfit and tucked it back into its corner. "Next time you decide to go through my closet wait until I say you can."

"Sorry." Ann gave the outfit a cautious glance at the outfit and then back at Sadayo. "He doesn't make you do anything weird in it does he?'

"Okay, now you've gone from stepping over the line to just obliterating it," laughed Sadayo as she finally found the uniform Ann had requested. It was a simple business type suit with slacks, a button-up shirt, and a jacket and had become one of Sadayo's staple work outfits.

"How can you not expect me to ask that?" Ann pointed at where the outfit was currently hiding and shook her head. "It's not every day you see something like that in a friend's closet."

"No, it's not." Sadayo laid the suit out on the bed and began searching for a garment bag of her own. "But this isn't something I like talking about; at least not now."

"That's fair." Ann sat down on the bed, looking genuinely happy for the first time since she'd arrived. "Thanks for lending this to me, it's really going to help Shiho out."

"I hope you're right."

Sadayo had been surprised when Ann had called her up to ask about lending Shiho an outfit for a job interview she had coming up. In all honesty, Shiho was the last person Sadayo had expected to make such a request, especially from a Shujin teacher. But if it helped Shiho move on with her life Sadayo was willing to do what it took to get her on her feet.

After finding the bag, Sadayo zipped it up just as a voice shouted from the entryway, "Sadayo!? I'm back."

Ann held a finger up to her lips and hid behind the bedroom door.

Sadayo rolled her eyes at Ann's juvenile actions but decided to play along. It'd been a while since she'd seen Akira scared out of his mind and Sadayo couldn't resist one last bit of vengeance over the whole thing with Mona.

"I'm in the bedroom," she answered as she began picking up some of the clothes that were piled up on the floor.

Akira appeared, and Sadayo watched Ann's head peek out from behind the door waiting for the right moment to strike.

"How'd it go," Sadayo asked as she deposited the clothes into the hamper.

"Fine," yawned Akira before kissing her cheek. "Iwai and I got all the parts we needed, and our deliveries are done. The customers were happy, so that's good; one even gave us a bit extra for getting their jobs done early."

"Keep this up, and soon you'll be making more than me." Sadayo and Akira were both still getting over the fact that Iwai had added in a thirty-thousand yen bonus to Akira's pay. She was proud that he was well compensated for his work, but she was feeling a bit suspicious of Iwai's intent on paying Akira so much.

"You know this job isn't permanent." Akira brushed some stray hair out of her eyes and gave her another kiss. "And Iwai's just looking out for me, same as Lala-chan. The stuff I work on is expensive, so Iwai's just paying me what he thinks my contributions are worth."

"I know." Sadayo gave him a soft kiss on the lips and patted his cheek. "You've been working hard, and I'm very proud of you."

Sadayo watched Ann make a retching gesture which had the teacher smiling. Akira smiled back, oblivious to what was about to happen to him.

"You work harder than me." Akira wrapped his arms around her while Ann began slowly tiptoeing her way across the room. "And I'm proud of what you've accomplished."

Ann was only a few feet away when he said this and Sadayo felt a small twinge of guilt at what she was about to let happen. After giving him a quick hug, Sadayo stepped back and said, "I need to get something out of the closet for tonight."

"All right," yawned Akira before rubbing his eyes. "If you don't mind I'm gonna take a quick nap. I'm..."

"GOTCHA," shouted Anna as she jumped onto his back and began rubbing her fist against his scalp.

"What the hell?!" Akira pulled Ann's arms off his neck and fell into the bed, Ann followed suit, but thanks to their landing she ended up rolling off the bed but sat up almost immediately laughing along with Sadayo.

"Got you," squealed the girl as she stared at a panting Akira.

"What the hell are you doing here," Akira turned to Sadayo who was laughing along with Ann. "Sadayo what the hell is Ann doing here?"

"I just flew in this morning." Ann climbed to her feet and then sat down on the bed so hard that Akira bounced a bit. "Remember how I told you about Shiho needing that suit in my reply a couple of days ago?"

"I thought you said she was going to ask me about that?" Akira's eyes narrowed as they shifted from Ann to Sadayo. "Did you know she was coming over?"

"Nope." Ann ruffled Akira's hair before kissing him softly on the lips. "Don't feel bad she did the same thing to me when she showed up on our doorstep."

"I don't feel bad about getting tricked. I expect it from her and Futaba," snipped Akira as Sadayo brushed her fingers along his cheek as she walked away. "But don't think I'm going to forget about your part in all this. I'm gonna get you back."

"I look forward to it," giggled Sadayo as she exited the bedroom.

"Can you please not talk like that while I'm here? I don't need any repeats of last summer." Ann got off the bed and followed Sadayo out after grabbing the suit.

"I make no promises. But if it happens there's the door," snorted Akira as he picked himself up off the bed and made his way to the couch. He dropped onto it with a loud thud and shouted, "Sadayo! Can you get me some water, please?!"

"God you're lazy," scoffed Ann, rolling her eyes as she sat on the love seat. "Even Ryuji isn't this bad."

"You have no idea how lazy Ryuji can be." Akira had stayed over at Ryuji's enough to know that while he may have helped his mom with the majority of the apartment, his room was an entirely different matter.

"I find that hard to believe." Ann crossed her arms and glared at Akira. "Yukiko-san might spoil him a bit, but she wouldn't let crap like this fly."

"He's fine, Ann." Sadayo appeared with a tray, a pitcher of water, and some snacks. She set it down on the table and dropped onto Akira's back. Sadayo felt a small pop and gave him a gentle pat on the head. "He's just being a big baby since he's so tired."

"Get off," grunted Akira as Sadayo ground her butt into his back. He was used to her doing this when he'd annoyed her, Akira had even done it from time to time, but with how knotted his back was, he didn't want to admit that she was both relieving and creating a lot of built-up tension.

"No," chuckled Sadayo as she began pouring water while Ann laughed at her friend's pain. "Would you like something to drink Ann?"

"Please," replied Ann as she took a picture on her phone.

"I hate you,' grumbled Akira as Sadayo continued grinding her butt into his back.

"Can you please not do that?" Akira had a sneaking suspicion that Sadayo knew what she was doing and when he managed to look up at her, he saw a familiar smirk she kept reserved just for him.

"What's the matter?" Sadayo continued moving side to side while Ann stared blankly at the wall, an embarrassed smile hidden behind her glass. "I thought you liked my butt?"

"Sadayo," growled Akira as she began bouncing on his back, a familiar tension building in his pants.

"I did not need to hear that," whispered Ann as she reached for one of the crackers.

"All right, that's it," grumbled Akira just as Sadayo bounced off his back. In the split second, she was off of him; he managed to roll over and wrap his left leg over her and pin her to the couch.

"Too slow," laughed Sadayo as she managed to slide out from between his legs and onto the floor.

"I don't think so." Akira followed her onto the floor and managed to keep her from crawling away, holding her tightly against him as he tickled her stomach. "You think you're funny don't you?'

"Yes," giggled Sadayo as she tried to hide her laughter while Akira's fingers moved along her abs. "You deserved it!"

"Oh really," Akira began kissing her neck as he continued his tickling.

"You guys are so weird." Ann rolled her eyes and looked around at the cat house and asked, "Where's Mona?"

"I dunno," gasped Sadayo as Akira stopped his tickling and just held her in his lap. "He ran off after I told him he couldn't sleep between my legs, little ingrate."

"That sounds like something he'd do." Ann picked her phone up and sighed at the time. "Hey, do you guys know what time Ryuji wanted to meet up at his place? I kinda don't want to show up 'til everyone is there, but I don't mind spoiling the surprise a bit."

"We still got a couple of hours," Akira nuzzled his forehead against Sadayo's shoulder and yawned. "But if you're taking the train with us we may need to leave early so Ryuji can hide you or something."

"Yeah, I kinda forgot about that. Guess I got no choice but to leave right now." Ann stood up, finished her water, and asked, "Can you two come with me?"

"Ummm…." Sadayo looked nervously at Akira who gave her a reassuring smile.

"It'll be okay." Akira gave her a soft, reassuring kiss and squeezed her tightly. "If you don't want to stay or if Yukiko-san can't handle it we can always leave early."

"Oh shit, I forgot she didn't know." Ann clapped her hands together and bowed in apology. "

"It's not your fault." Sadayo dug her elbow into Akira's stomach and growled, "It's his fault for opening his fat mouth about having a girlfriend before he was officially moved in."

"That's why I gave you the option not to go," grunted Akira as her elbow dug into his ribs.

"Sure it was." Sadayo gave him one last jab with her elbow before sliding out of his lap and went into the bedroom. "Just let me get changed into something a bit more appropriate and we'll catch the next train."

When she was gone, Ann chuckled and said, "Glad to see you've settled in so quickly."

"I wouldn't say I've settled, more like I've been beaten into submission," sighed Akira while rubbing the spot Sadayo had bounced on. "But it's nice to have you back, Ann."

"It's good to be home," giggled Ann just as Sadayo appeared in a pair of jeans and the ratty old hoodie she'd seen in the closet. "You look like you're ready to party."

"I'm just prepped to make a quick exit."

"Way to be optimistic," sighed Akira while grabbing his wallet and keys and headed out with the two ladies only a few steps behind him.

About an hour later the trio was walking down the street talking happily about everything they had planned for the summer. Ann was worried more about being able to stay home and rest while Akira, like Sadayo, was dreading having to take Sadayo home.

"Why are you so nervous?" Ann was still amused by their worry and was getting a bit fed up with it. "Your parents already know you're living with her right? So just have her meet them and get it over with. What's the worst that can happen, they don't like her?"

"That's part of it." Sadayo gave Akira a distressed smile and took his hand. "But you know how many people saw us when I visited last summer. I'm just worried about what'll happen if someone who saw us opens their mouth."

"Not like we can take it back." Akira leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "But if someone does open their mouths we can just say they're mistaking you for Makoto."

"You are not blaming Makoto for our indiscretions." Sadayo gently shoved Akira, but she looked happy for the first time since they left the apartment. "I've heard enough stories about all the fights you guys got into, and I don't want to Makoto to get blamed for our indiscretions."

"I dunno, I think it's possible since you've let your hair grow out." Ann began fiddling with Sadayo's hair and tried to braid it as they walked down the street.

"Stop it." Sadayo turned around and swatted at Ann who barely avoided getting slapped.

"All right, all right." Ann feigned stuffing her hands into her pockets, and as they turned a corner, she moved behind Sadayo and took another handful of hair and began trying to braid it again.

"That's it!" Sadayo turned around and began chasing Ann down the street toward Ryuji's apartment building.

"I don't know why you're so mad," panted Ann as she dodged a couple walking down the street. "You have such cute hair! You should do more than just comb it!"

"I don't care," wheezed Sadayo. She nearly tripped on the sidewalk but caught herself on a wall and stopped several feet from Ann, clutching her side.

"What happened to all that working out you've been doing," gasped Ann after catching her breath.

"I could say the same to you!"

"Are you two done?" Akira walked up, keeping a safe distance from Sadayo and Ann. "Or am I going to have to separate the two of you for the rest of class?"

"Oh shut up." Sadayo gave Akira a playful smack on the shoulder and let out a relieved breath when she saw that Akira had held onto the suit.

"Yeah, yeah." Akira held the bag out to Ann and said, "You gonna get off your phone and take this up or am I gonna have to keep lugging it around?"

"Fine." Ann set her phone inside her purse and snatched the bag out of Akira's hand. "I was just telling Ryuji we were down here. He said his mom had to run to the store and that Futaba and Haru are already upstairs."

"Just Haru and Futaba?" A nervous timbre echoed through Sadayo's words and Akira placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "Are you sure it's just them?"

"Breathe. It's going to be okay." Akira rubbed her shoulder momentarily before whispering in her ear, "Just remember that we can always leave, okay? Remember, if you want to leave no one will think any lesser of you."

"All right." Sadayo felt most of her worries alleviate, but she couldn't shake the urge to run.

"Come on," Ann took Sadayo's hand and began pulling her toward the door to the building. "Everyone's waiting for us, and I'm pretty sure Shiho would like to see a familiar face."

"I'm sure she would," said Sadayo, following Ann's lead.

As they reached the door, Sadayo's feet anchored her to the ground as she and Akira both shouted, "WAIT, WHAT?!"


	7. Chapter 7

Hi guys! I'm back for a bit.

Holidays kicked my ass and my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer! Don't worry it's stage 0 to low stage 1 at the most but...it did not help my disposition.

So been dealing with that, money issues, but now a lot of my issues are getting better and I've fallen back in love with anime and manga.

Been watching Laid-back (yuru) camp, Koizumi-san loves ramen, Franxx, Violet Evergarden, Saga of Tanya the Evil, Jojo, and many more including the oddly controversial, CITRUS!

If you guys have any others to recommend hit me up. Anywho on with the chapter mwahahahaahahaahahaha

Chapter 7

"What do you mean Shiho would like to see my face?"

Sadayo pulled out of Ann's grasp and backed away from the door only to collide with Akira's chest.

"Sadayo," Akira placed his hands on his girlfriend's shoulders and rubbed them gently. Even though he was trying to sound calm, it was plain that he was just as anxious as Sadayo was. "It'll be okay."

"No, I can't, not..," Sadayo turned and ran toward a nearby park he and Ryuji frequented when they managed to go out running together.

"Ann," Akira looked to his friend, trying to hide his frustration but failing miserably. "Can you head up and tell them what's going on?"

"Yeah." Ann nodded and gave him an apologetic smile. "Can you let her know Shiho isn't up there, yet. She said she wouldn't be here for a while and tell Sadayo I'm sorry for not saying something sooner. "

"That's if she'll listen to me." Akira sighed before heading toward the park. It took him a few minutes to locate her, but eventually, he found her. She was near a bench he'd ran by hundreds of times and approached her. She was pacing back and forth her mouth moving silently as she conversed with herself. It was plain to see that she was still distraught by the news, but he wanted to help.

"Sadayo," he said softly as he approached. "Can you please sit down? You're going to wear yourself out."

"How can I be calm?" Sadayo stopped in her tracks and pointed at Ryuji's building. "I thought I'd only have to deal with Sakamoto-san, but I now have to face Suzui-chan as well?!"

" _We_ have to deal with them," coughed Akira as he stared up at the building. "In case you forgot I'm here too. Any judgments they'll have will be aimed at both you and me."

"You're not the one who has to worry about getting reported to the school if Sakamoto-san decides to call." Sadayo ran a hand through her hair and scratched her head.

"So because I don't have to worry about getting fired or losing my teaching license I don't have anything to lose?"

Akira felt himself beginning to grow even more agitated. He knew she was upset, but the last thing he needed was her throwing insults at him. He thought he'd gotten used to all of this, about their age difference and what would happen if anyone found out. She always said that she'd stand up for them, but now he was beginning to worry if it'd just been an empty promise. Despite this and his fatigue, Akira wanted to be there for her, to let her know that she wasn't alone, but all he could hear was the sound of her worrying about herself and felt like she needed to at least listen to what he had to say on the matter.

"In case you forgot there's a chance they could look into my records and screw me over with some stupid claim about you helping e cheat on my exams or some other bullshit like that. I could get my scholarships pulled and..."

"Yeah but you're still a kid; chances are they'll go easy on you." Sadayo stopped in her tracks, a look of horror on her face at what she'd just said. "Akira, I didn't mean..."

"Don't." Akira didn't waste a step as he made his way to the crosswalk, his ears were burning with anger, and his jaw clenched. Any semblance of understanding he'd been trying to give her over the situation was slowly dissipating.

"Akira." Sadayo tried to catch up with him, but the length of his legs and speed made it almost impossible for her to catch up. "Please stop, I'm so..."

"Don't waste your time,' he shouted over his shoulder. "I'm going to head up to see our friends you're free to do whatever you want. But if you decide you want to hang around with a kid, Shiho isn't there yet, so you don't have to worry about running away."

Akira hated saying it, but he couldn't stand hearing how little she was concerned with his feelings. He was under enough pressure as it was with his mother bugging him every few days about having Sadayo call her before their visit. Then there was his classes, exams, work, and helping with the rest of their bills, groceries, cleaning the apartment. Akira thought he had prepared for all of it, the financial and the emotional stress, but at the moment, he wasn't willing to listen.

He'd spent enough nights up waiting for her to come home, eating late dinners, and losing sleep just to see her. Most nights he didn't mind, and in truth, things had been getting better thanks to Sadayo finally getting some more free time.

They'd managed to go out a bit more often now that Ogawa had stopped relying on her to do every little project that came up. Sadayo still had extra work, but most nights they were home together they'd been able to go out for dinner or to see a movie, occasionally Makoto or Haru were able to join them. But even on those nights out, someone from work was always texting her about some project or event at the school; not to mention the confused glances they would get any time they laughed at something the other said or when they got even remotely physical with one another.

Akira wasn't oblivious to their predicament. He wasn't thrilled about having to face the judgmental looks they would get from Yukiko or Shiho, but he thought he could stomach it if Sadayo were with him and regardless of his anger, Akira the turned his head to see if she'd followed him only to find that he was still alone.

Unsurprised, Akira headed to the elevator and pressed the number for Ryuji's floor before slamming his fist into the wall. A dull pain shot through his fist, but he shook it off, finding a strange solace in the metallic echo. Some of the pent of frustration left his body, and he felt a bit better, but Akira didn't feel like going check on her. He knew he was being stubborn, but it was better than staying down there and turning it into a public display.

Nor did he needed to be reminded of the age gap; he was well aware of it given the fact that they'd hung a copy of his high school diploma next to hers when he moved in. The writing was almost literally on the wall, and he thought he was over it. But the way she'd used his age as some buffer that he'd escape punishment was a slap in the face.

Akira was so lost in thought that he was oblivious to the sight of Ryuji and Haru standing in the doorway.

"There you are," Haru exclaimed in relief. "We were worried you two had gone home after Ann told you the news about Shiho."

"I can't speak for Sadayo," grunted Akira after pushing past his friends, "but I'm here to have fun."

"Dude is everything, okay?" Ryuji gave the elevator a concerned look. "Did you just let her go home on her own? Is she still downstairs?"

"I don't know." Akira reached for the doorknob of the apartment and turned to Ryuji. "Is it open?"

"Yeah, but Akira," Ryuji and Haru followed him in, worried looks plastered on their faces. "Dude, aren't you worried about her?"

"It's still light out, and she's an adult," huffed Akira as he took his shoes off. "I'm not her babysitter, and she knows how to take care of herself. If she wants to come up, she knows where we are."

"Akira," Haru stepped in front of him, prepared to ask him to go down with her.

They knew something was wrong, Akira could see it in both their faces, but he didn't want to deal with their interfering. Most days he didn't mind their input, but there were days like today where he just wanted them to mind their own business.

"Haru, don't." Akira pulled off the light jacket he'd worn and hung it up. "Right now this is something that she and I need to work out on our own."

"I can understand that," answered Haru, upset that he was able to be so casual, "but if it's going to cause a problem here maybe you should head home and sort it out."

"I'm not going anywhere," Akira snorted at Haru's defiant stare. "I came to hang out with my friends, and that's what I'm going to do."

"Now wait a minute," snapped Ryuji but Haru stood in his way.

"This isn't the time, Ryuji."

Akira felt Haru's eyes on him and knew what they were planning.

"If you're going to go and check on her, be my guest." Akira gave them a dismissive wave and headed toward the living room where Futaba was busy shouting at someone over her headset. "Futaba what game do you got in right now?"

Futaba didn't even look up from the television as she was too immersed in the new fighting game Ryuji had bought.

Thanks to the money he was earning at Crossroads, Ryuji had spent some of his wages upgrading the electronics in the apartment. They weren't too expensive, given that he'd bought most of them on clearance, causing Yukiko to brag to her friends about how much he helped around the house.

When he didn't hear a reply, Akira dropped down next to her and picked up a controller and hit start.

"HEY WHAT THE HELL?!" Futaba turned with a ravenous look in her eyes and nearly knocked the remote out of Akira's hands. "I was almost done with the co-op story-mode! I was one fight away from a trophy!"

"Haven't you already beaten this game?" Akira was well informed about Futaba's gaming collection and knew she'd beaten this game multiple times.

"Not with this character!" Futaba punched Akira in the shoulder before starting up the versus mode. "Seriously, how dense are you? I'm gonna tell Sadayo about this."

"Go ahead," muttered Akira as he picked his fighter. "Not like I care at the moment."

"Uh oh," giggled Futaba as she began kicking his character in the face. "Lemme guess she freaked out when she heard Shiho was gonna be here?"

"Can't hide anything from you, can I?" Akira regained his footing in the fight and began pummeling his friend with a nasty combination.

"I see the grasshopper has turned into a mantis," snickered Futaba as she was able to duck beneath one of his punches. "But yeah, Ann came in and kind of told us Sadayo flipped out when she heard about Ann inviting Shiho."

"Yeah, she did." Akira was beginning to get frustrated here and started going all out on Futaba.

"I know that face," grinned Futaba as she began dodging his blows. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Screw you." Akira finally broke through Futaba's defenses and began mercilessly pummeling her character until the game announced his victory.

"I guess that's a yes," Futaba set her controller down and patted Akira on the head as she headed into the kitchen. "Hey, Ann?! Are any of those appetizers ready?! My stomach is a black hole, and it needs matter!"

"Whatever," snorted Akira as he started the story mode and began fighting with a favorite character his. As he reached the fourth match, Akira heard the door open along with four familiar voices.

"Well, it's nice to finally have you over for a visit. I've meant to thank you for everything you did for Ryuji and the others That tutoring program you started was a godsend. Right, Ryuji?"

"I heard you the first thousand times, Mom." Ryuji tried to sound annoyed, but Akira could hear the laughter in his voice.

"I hope I'm not imposing," apologized Sadayo as the sound of shoes hitting the floor echoed throughout the apartment.

"Of course you aren't," chuckled Yukiko while their footsteps echoed on the floor. "Oh, Akira-kun, you're here. Ryuji, why didn't you tell me he was here?"

"Sorry, Mom."

Akira smirked as he heard Yukiko's voice grate as she questioned her son.

"He kinda showed up before we headed downstairs." Akira could feel Ryuji's eyes on his back but didn't care, he may have been listening, but Akira was too focused on his match to focus on the conversation.

Deciding it would be suspicious if he didn't answer, Akira paused the game and turned around a smile on his face as he said, "Afternoon Yukiko-san, thanks for having me over."

The brown eyes that were so like her son's lit up at his words and Yukiko's soft features shone as she said, "You're quite welcome. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you help me with some of the refreshments in the kitchen? Kawakami-san could you help me as well?"

"Of course," said Sadayo with a strained smile. Akira could tell she hadn't expected, but her gentle nature wouldn't let her decline a request for help. "Just tell me what you need help with."

Standing up, Akira subconsciously slammed the remote into Ryuji's hand before heading into the kitchen.

"What the hell man," whispered Ryuji before taking Haru into the living room where he began showing her how to play the game.

"This looks lovely Ann," exclaimed Yukiko after seeing the plating job Ann had done. "I didn't expect you to get this much done so quickly."

"I've gotten a bit of practice since I've had to have business meetings at my apartment. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it." Ann gave both Sadayo and Akira nervous glances before turning her attention to Yukiko. "Did you need any more help?"

"Not from you. Futaba quit stuffing your face please and help Ann take some of these platters out to the table. I think Ryuji said Makoto and Shiho were on their way. I'm so glad to hear that you and Shiho have been keeping each other company. It sounds like getting out on her own is just what she needed to begin moving on with her life."

"It's tough for her since I'm not home as much as I'd like." A small blush crept into Ann's cheeks that didn't go unnoticed by Akira or Sadayo. "But she's got her schoolwork to keep her focused, and her family has been supportive of her decisions. Not to mention that it's nice to have someone to come home to."

Ann's face turned a bit red when she noticed a knowing smirk on Akira's face and began hastily gathering the refreshments and taking them to the dining table.

"So what would do you need me to do, Yukiko-san?" Akira began looking through all the bags trying to discern what the woman wanted him to prepare.

"I need you and Kawakami-san to start cleaning the vegetables and slicing some of the meat while I work on getting a few more things from the store?" Yukiko's face dropped when she saw a slight hint of annoyance on Akira's face. "Um….did I say something wrong?"

"We'll be fine," replied Sadayo with a feigned smile. "You just go and finish your errands."

"All right," Yukiko didn't look convinced but given her job in customer service she wasn't willing to pass up disappointing her guests. "If you need anything, just have Ryuji call me. Futaba, can you come with me please?"

There was a stampede of anxious footsteps as the two girls ran from the living room to the front door. While Yukiko explained to the two girls the plain, Sadayo and Akira set to finishing the preparations of the food. Akira took the vegetables while Sadayo handled the meat.

Akira was a bit nervous about Sadayo handling a knife but lucky for him; her mood kept her focused on her work. He could see that she looked stressed, and he felt a pang of guilt for having left, but what else was he supposed to do? At the time it seemed like it was the most prudent choice given his temper. It made the most sense for him to walk away instead of saying something he'd regret later on, but no matter how he looked at it he still did something to hurt her.

Shaking his head, he returned his focus to the vegetables and growled when he felt how dull the knife was. Going to the drawers, he found a small hand sharpener and began working it along the blade's edge until he thought it was ready. When he finished, he gave a piece of daikon a rough chop, and it went through smoothly. Satisfied he set it aside and went back to his work, until he felt a finger on his shoulder.

"Can I borrow that," asked Sadayo in almost a whisper.

Grabbing the sharpener, Akira handed it to Sadayo without a word and began working on the mushrooms.

"Thanks," sighed Sadayo before returning to the meat.

They continued working, mostly in silence, only speaking when they needed too. It was tense, and while his temper had diminished some, Akira still couldn't shake what she'd said earlier.

"I'm sorry," he heard her whisper as she continued slicing the meat. "About earlier, I did….

"Don't," he repeated in a softer tone than he'd used when it happened. "Please, don't do this right now."

"Akira," Sadayo tried to continue but stopped when he set the knife on the counter. "I want you to..."

"Sadayo, please stop, okay?" Akira felt his temper slowly beginning to build, and he didn't want to risk causing a scene."I just need to be angry for a bit."

"All right." Sadayo gave a heavy sigh and nodded. "That's fair."

As the pair of them returned to their work, there came a soft knock on the front door followed by a voice asking, "He...Hello? Is there anyone?"

A streak of blonde whizzed by the doorway to the kitchen, and a voice shouted, "SHIHO! MAKOTO!"

"Ow, my ears," groaned Makoto as the sound of shoes being taken off filled the apartment. "It's good to see you, Ann."

"It's good to see you too. I missed you!"

"I missed you too," Akira heard Shiho reply in an unusually warm voice. "The apartment's been lonely without you there."

"Not for long," chuckled Ann as the girls began heading toward the living room. "I'm taking the summer off. No modeling jobs, no acting or anything, just staying at home along with some relaxing and exercising."

"Really? Are you sure you're okay with that?" Both Sadayo and Akira could hear the excitement in her voice, despite her apprehension.

"Sadayo-san asked the same thing earlier," chuckled Ann as she led them toward the kitchen. "Speaking of which...umm….Sadayo-san."

Akira noticed Sadayo's hand slip, and he was barely able to move her finger out of the way before she sliced the tip of her finger off.

"Thanks," she blushed at the look of relief in his eyes and gave him a sheepish smile before turning around and bowing. "Ummm it's good to see you again Shiho-san."

Shiho gave a polite bow and said, "It's nice to see you too. Ann's told me about everything you've done at the school over the last couple of years. I didn't believe her at first, but when she took me by one day after she finished a photo shoot, I was in shock. It's like a new place."

"It wasn't just me," answered Sadayo, her face even redder than it had been. "The teachers who stayed, as well as the new staff and principal, helped just as much as I did. If it weren't for Ogawa-san, we probably wouldn't be where we are now. You'd like her more than the old principal."

"I'm sure I would." Shiho's voice dropped and out of instinct; Ann stepped in.

"Ummm Sadayo-san do you mind coming with me to help Shiho figure out what to do with her suit? Yukiko-san said we could use her room if we need to."

"Are you okay with that?" Sadayo turned to Akira who was in the middle of finishing slicing some peppers.

"Works for me," Akira replied flatly as he began cleaning up the mess of seeds he'd scraped out of the peppers. "Can you ask Ryuji to come in and help me?"

"He's in the middle of his game and is getting pissed because Haru is beating him." Makoto stepped up and began chewing on a bit of pepper. "It's probably the only reason he didn't start snapping at us the moment Ann began screaming."

"Oh lighten up," scoffed Ann as she began ushering Shiho toward the bedrooms. "You're just jealous because you don't have someone to go home to."

"Ann, can you please not...,"

Shiho's voice was quieted by Ann moving her past the door, and when they were gone, Sadayo turned around and waved shyly at Makoto.

"It's nice to see you, Makoto."

"The same goes for me," laughed Makoto and gave Sadayo a small hug.

Akira could hear some murmurs but chose to ignore them. When Makoto returned, she continued working on the beef and pork while Akira finished his cleaning. He could tell by the look on her face that Makoto had something on her mind, no doubt Ryuji or Haru had told her what had happened. Despite his anger at Sadayo for what she said earlier, Akira couldn't get mad if she talked about it, he just didn't want to hear any of it at the moment.

"Is everything okay," asked the brunette as Akira neatly began putting what dishes he could into the dishwasher.

"We're in the middle of a fight," he said quietly.

"How bad?" Akira could hear a faint hint of Sae in Makoto's voice. He figured she'd picked up a few of her sister's interrogation techniques through osmosis, but he was prepared for it.

"Nothing you need to worry about."

"Akira," sighed Makoto as she turned to face him. "You can't keep shutting us down when we ask you how you two are doing."

"Why does it always have to concern you guys?" Akira picked up one of the peppers and chewed on the end of it. "It's not like we're blowing up at each other or shouting in the middle of the living room. Can't we disagree without you guys always butting in."

"Normally I would agree with you," coughed Makoto as she finished her work, "but this happened with some of us around so unfortunately we're going to want to get involved. You're both our friends, and we don't want to get caught in the middle."

"Then stay out of it." Akira finished his pepper when he looked at Makoto he could tell he'd struck a nerve. "Don't give me that look. I know you guys mean well, and I appreciate it, but all of you need to learn when to butt in and when to back off."

"Fine," sighed Makoto as she tossed the knife into the sink and began washing her hands. "If that's the way you want it, I'll back off this time, but I can't speak for the others. You know how Ryuji and Ann get. And I don't even want to think about how Haru is going to handle this if you two snap at each other."

"Whatever," muttered Akira as Makoto finished cleaning.

Makoto glared at him and bit back a retort before walking by. Akira held his tongue and met her gaze.

"Keep this up, and you're going to have more than your girlfriend pissed off at you."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Akira snorted after putting the food away. "And in case you hadn't heard, I'm the one who's pissed off at her so make sure you get your facts straight next time."

Makoto shook her head in frustration before joining Ryuji in the living room. Snatching up a slice of onion, Akira chewed on it quietly as he mused about how things were going with Sadayo and Shiho and hoped things would turn out for the best.

"So this is it," said Sadayo as she pulled out the jacket and the pants. "It's nothing fancy, but I like it, and it breathes fairly well so you shouldn't have to worry about sweating during your interview."

"It's nice." Shiho gave Sadayo a nervous look while Ann busied herself with some of the make-up she'd brought to help figure out what look would best suit her friend. 'Thank you for this."

"I'll leave you two alone then," answered Sadayo as she headed toward the door.

"Please don't." Shiho clutched the jacket and gave Sadayo a nervous smile. "I...I wanted to talk for a bit."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Sadayo was beginning to back toward the door, her guilt over Shiho's attempted suicide slowly beginning to build. "I don't...I mean...I'm..."

Sadayo began breathing heavily as Ann approached. She felt a small amount of sweat start to trickle down her neck and her cheeks begin to flush. Ann took her by the hand and led her toward the bed before heading out into the living room, Sadayo could hear Ann say something. Sadayo listened to the sound of cabinets shutting, and other noises before feeling someone place a glass of ice water in her hands.

Looking up, she nearly dropped her glass when she saw Akira's face staring down at her. It wasn't unkind, but it lacked its usual warmth, but she felt grateful.

"Thank you," she said quietly before taking a drink, her confidence slowly returning.

"You're welcome." Akira gave Shiho a friendly smile. A moment of mental struggle flashed across his face before he crouched down and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before leaving.

Shiho looked at the door then at Sadayo and stammered, "That...ummm...well...ah...I..."

"It's okay." Sadayo took another drink and felt her stomach settle. "We….we don't have to talk about that right now."

"I...I agree," chuckled Shiho nervously. "I'm sorry if I scared you, this isn't easy for me either. I just needed to say this to someone or something. It's...it's part of my therapy, but I also needed to do this for myself."

"What do you need?" Sadayo took another sip of ice water and steeled herself for the worst. "If you need to shout or yell or anything feel free, I deserve it."

"Not as much as you think," sighed Shiho as she set the jacket on the pants. "Before you think I used needing the suit as a means to yell at you I want you to know that I do need the suit. _I_ want to get this job because I'm tired of sitting at home with Ann paying all the bills while I just study and clean house. I feel kind of useless doing so little."

"You're living at Ann's?" Ann hadn't mentioned this to her and Sadayo was a bit confused given how her friend had said she was jealous of not having anyone at home. "From the way, Yukiko-san and Ann were talking it sounded like you were just staying there while she was out of town."

"Yeah," Shiho gave Sadayo her strongest smile, but even it wasn't hard for Sadayo to see the discomfort hiding behind her eyes. "I moved in after she left for this most recent trip. It was supposed to be sooner, but I was having a hard time finding the courage to leave my family."

"That's not unusual." Sadayo fidgeted the glass in her hands; the condensation was making it difficult to tell if it was the glass or a nervous sweat that was making her hands wet. "Akira's parents went through something similar when he moved out. He was fine, but they...well they didn't know he was coming to live with me. The truth is they don't even know my name or what I look like or what I do for a living. They just know I'm older and that I have my own place. I still haven't talked to them, and I know I have to soon, I'm just scared."

"I can imagine." Shiho was beginning to look a bit more uncomfortable. Her bottom lip disappeared into her mouth as she chewed on it before finding the words. "I'm not going to lie and say that I'm comfortable with your relationship. In truth, I suspected it when he stopped you from cutting your finger, how he looked when he saw that you weren't hurt. Ann said he had a girlfriend, but I didn't expect it to be you."

"It's still kind of a shock for me too," chuckled Sadayo while she finished her water. "Believe me when I say that when Ann found out, I thought she was going to rip my head off; the same goes for Ryuji, but after we talked it out they slowly came around. But, I know that I crossed a line, and I don't want to force you into accepting it. But for what it's worth, I do value every one of them as a dear friend. "

They sat in silence for a while, Sadayo hoping that Shiho wasn't thinking that Sadayo wasn't trying to vindicate her decision to date Akira. There was no way she could. All she could do was admit the truth and hope people wouldn't hold it against her.

"I'm glad she's made friends," sighed Shiho as she stared at the wall. "I had a tough time making some after I left Shujin. I couldn't bring myself to trust anybody enough, boys or girls. At my the school I graduated from most of the students were happy and carefree. The teachers were nice and genuine, but I always backed away whenever somebody approached me. I didn't want to be hurt again."

"Suzui-chan….,"

"I went back to Shujin a couple of times," she continued, her hands were shaking along with her voice. "The first time was after I was mostly recovered from...well you were there. I tried to see if that girl I was before I jumped had died and I thought she had. I thought she was gone and that I could begin to move on, and I tried. I did try, and after some time at my new school, I came back and visited Ann. I told you about the time she took me, but there were other times I visited; times I didn't tell her about. A few times I skipped school so I could visit Shujin again to see some of the new teachers and the new principal, but when I got there, I couldn't believe that Shujin had changed so much."

Tears were beginning to pour down Shiho's face and despite her instinct to comfort the girl, Sadayo kept still and allowed her to continue.

"It was a completely different place." Shiho's voice was breaking, her body rocking from her sobs as she tried to speak. "When I saw the kids I noticed that they were happy and I saw teachers that cared about them. Teachers that gave a damn about what was going on inside them and what was going on in their lives." Shiho wiped her eyes, trying to stop the tears but they didn't stop. "The moment I saw how much the school had changed, I got angry. I hated everyone I saw, the teachers, the principal, you. I know you all don't deserve it, but I can't forgive….I want to, but I can't. I thought I could but..."

Shiho's face contorted and dropped into her hands. Sadayo watched as she continued to rock from her cries, she could see the tears pour from the sides of Shiho's hands. Even though she knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do, Sadayo reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

When the teacher's hand made contact, Shio was on her feet immediately, her face twisted in anger as she shouted, "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Sadayo remained seated and lowered her hand, her face downcast as Shiho continued to seethe.

The door opened, and Ann, Makoto, and Yukiko were in the doorway, looking concerned. Sadayo could see Ryuji, Haru, and even Akira staring into the room from the background. Akira was the only one she cared about, and like earlier, his gaze was cold, but not uncaring.

"I'm sorry," hiccuped Shiho when she saw the fuss she'd raised. "I didn't mean to…."

"I understand," replied Sadayo as she stood up and straightened her clothes. "You're welcome to keep the suit for as long as you need to as a sign of good faith." Sadayo bowed and gave Shiho as warm a smile as she could before saying, "I'm sorry I failed you, but I won't fail you or any other student under my care ever again."

With that Sadayo left the room while Ann and Makoto shut the door to help take care of Shiho.

"Umm...Akira-kun and Sadayo-san." Both of them turned to see Yukiko following behind them, a hopeful look on her face. "Thank you for the help with prepping the food. Ryuji can you go and get the grill ready while Futaba and I begin skewering the kebabs. The rest of you, can you please get the plates and everything ready?"

"Of course." Sadayo cast a cautious look at Shiho, who was in the middle of being comforted by Ann. "Would you mind showing me where the dishes are located?"

"Of course." Yukiko smiled at Sadayo before turning a glare toward her son. "RYUJI! TURN OFF THAT DAMN GAME AND GET THE GRILL READY!"

"All right," shouted back Ryuji before hopping off the couch and stretching loudly. "Futaba and Haru, you guys, go help mom, if we don't, we're all gonna end up flayed alive."

"Keep talking like that, and I'll do more than flay you," shouted snapped Yukiko after hitting her son in the head with her slipper.

"Yeah, yeah," Ryuji yawned as he headed out onto the porch. "Yo, Akira make sure you behave yourself while helping out my mom."

"No promises," grunted Akira as he disappeared into the kitchen.

"Are you okay," asked Haru as she began showing Sadayo where to find all the utensils and glasses while Yukiko busied herself with something else.

"No," answered Sadayo truthfully. "I expected something like this, but nothing can ever prepare you for it."

"You're not alone." Haru placed a hand on Sadayo's shoulder and nudged her head toward Yukiko's bedroom door. "And neither is she. She has Ann and her family and when she's ready she'll have us, including you."

"Maybe." Sadayo tried to smile at Haru, but it wouldn't come, but all she could do was focus on Akira who was in the middle of helping skewer meat and vegetables with Futaba and Yukiko.

"He'll come around." Haru winked and pointed at Akira who was heading out onto the porch with the kebabs. "I'm sorry it just had to happen tonight."

"Thanks Haru." Sadayo managed a smile, albeit a weak one.

"You're my friend." Haru gave her a gentle pat on the head similar to the ones Akira would give Futaba. "Which means that if anyone messes with you, they mess with me. Right Futaba!?"

Futaba, who was had switched from skewering to carrying a pitcher of water, jumped at Haru shouting her name. Water went everywhere covering Futaba's glasses and drenching her shirt

"Quit laughing," growled the girl as Sadayo and Haru tried to fight their giggles.

"Why?" Haru wandered over and pinched Futaba's cheek before handing her a paper towel. "You looked so cute when you were scared."

"Uh huh," Futaba took the towel and began dabbing at her shirt in vain and growled at the cold water on her chest. "I hate you so much right now, Haru."

"What'd I do?" Haru looked up from the floor where she was wiping up the water Futaba had spilled. "All I did was ask you a question."

"Bullshit," growled Futaba at the fake innocence Haru was projecting. "I can't prove it right now, but I know you did it intentionally and one day I'll catch you."

"Good luck," snickered Haru, which earned her another smile from Sadayo.

Futaba glared at the two of them before wandering out onto the porch where Ryuji and Akira were now having a private conversation.

"Hey, Ryuji. Can I borrow a shirt? Haru decided to pull one of her jumpscares on me."

"You know where they are," Ryuji sighed as he turned his attention back to Akira, while Futaba disappeared into Ryuji's room.

Sadayo watched as they went back into their conversation, Ryuji listening while Akira spoke. She had an idea of what they were talking about, given the fact that Akira kept giving her the occasional peripheral glance. She managed a smile, and he returned it with a nod which was more than she'd expected.

"Hey, Sadayo-san."

Sadayo turned her attention to Futaba who had returned dressed in an old track shirt of Ryuji's.

"What's up, Futaba?" Sadayo cast a nervous glance at the door to Yukiko's room and was wondering if Shiho was okay.

"Come on," Futaba took Sadayo's hand and pulled her toward the couch. "You need to blow something up."

"What if Sakamoto-san..."

"Have some fun," shouted Yukiko from the kitchen. "The food will be done soon, and Makoto and Ann are taking care of Shiho-chan. I'm fine with someone else playing that damn machine other than Ryuji from time to time."

"Oh, I wanna play!" Haru set down the last of the glasses and hopped over the back of the couch and landed with a dull thud. "Futaba hand me a controller!"

"Sure." Futaba gave Sadayo a nervous look but handed over the remote. "This is not going to end well."

"I don't know," chuckled Sadayo, taking a seat next to Haru. "I think I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"Bring it on." A violent smile appeared on Haru's lips as the character select screen appeared.

When they were in the middle of their third match, the door to Yukiko's room opened, and Shiho, Ann, and Makoto appeared. Shiho looked considerably calmer as she clutched the garment bag against her chest. Her eyes were puffy, and her nose was red, but she seemed about as relaxed as she could be. Makoto and Ann, on the other hand, both looked concerned but relieved that Shiho had finally decided to leave.

"Oh thank god." Yukiko set the tray she'd been carrying on the table and gave Shiho a relieved smile. "Are you okay?"

Shiho shook her head and gave an apologetic look at Sadayo and said, "I'm sorry, but I think I need to head home. This...this was a mistake. I'm sorry I ruined your evening."

"You didn't ruin anything," Yukiko said in her usual motherly tone. "Whenever you're ready you're always welcomed back, okay?"

"Thank you very much." Shiho gave a small bow and then walked over to the others. "I'm sorry if I scared you all. Please take care, and hopefully, we can see each other again."

"I know we will." Futaba gave Shiho a thumbs up and her usual cocky grin. "Just take care of yourself and get some rest. And good luck on your job interview."

"Thank you." Shiho tried to manage a smile, but the appearance of Ryuji and Akira found her holding back.

"If it doesn't work out, please have Ann contact me." Haru stood up and offered Shiho a business card. "Or you can call or email me if you need any help finding work. I won't be able to pull any strings, but I can ask around about the work you're interested in and relay the information."

"That's very kind." Shiho took the card and put it into her purse. "Kawakami-san, I'm sorry for earlier. I want you to know that I'm going to work on it. I'm going to try and move beyond my pain."

"Just take care of yourself." Sadayo stood up and bowed politely. "And know that you can rely on everyone in this room, even if you can't bring yourself to trust us fully."

"Thank you very much." Shiho looked at Ryuji and said, "Saka..."

"Just get home and rest," grinned Ryuji as he set down the platter. "You ain't gonna be able to work or get better if you don't rest, 'kay?"

"Right." Shiho looked at Akira and then at Sadayo. She looked like she had something to say but instead said, "Take care of yourself Kurusu-kun, and thank you for that day you joined Ann and me on the roof."

"You're welcome." Akira turned his attention to Ann and said, "Take care of her."

"You know it." Ann put her hand on Shiho's back and said, "Come on, I think you need a night of bad movies and junk food."

"I like the sound of that," giggled Shiho before saying goodbye to the others.

When she and Ann were gone, Yukiko waved them all to the table and said, "Come on, I think we could all use a nice meal after that. Everyone help yourselves we have plenty to go around."

The group did as Yukiko requested and after they were fed and watered, the mood seemed to substantially. Akira seemed to finally calm down enough to have a conversation with Makoto and Ryuji without biting their hands off, and Haru joined Sadayo and Yukiko in several games of cards. Meanwhile, Futaba and Ryuji continued to pummel each other mercilessly at several games while occasionally offering Akira a chance to play between his breaks of scrounging up something to read from Ryuji's manga collection.

As they had their fun, however, Sadayo couldn't shake the look of hatred she'd seen in Shiho's eyes. It was only for a few moments, but it was enough to leave an impact. As she finished her final hand of Gin with Yukiko, Sadayo began wondering if she should go home. It wouldn't be difficult for her to leave the party, especially with Akira still barely saying anything outside of a polite word or two.

She didn't blame him since they hadn't had a chance to talk with Yukiko in private and with what happened with Shiho, Sadayo wasn't surprised neither of them had said anything. She was thankful however for what affection he did show her and that he'd sat down next to her while they ate. Everyone was on pins and needles, and she was confident Yukiko could tell something was going on, but she said nothing.

Deciding to step outside, Sadayo grabbed a soda off the table and headed out onto the porch. The grill was still warm, making the chilly night a bit more bearable as she stared up at the stars. It was a lovely night, and she closed her eyes relaxing at the feel of the fresh air and the taste of her soda. She could hear the murmurs of laughter, and they helped to ease her nerves. But as she stared down at the blazing lights all she could think about were the words Shiho had said. How despite her desire to move past her tragedies, she couldn't bring herself to forgive Sadayo nor accept hers and Akira's relationship. They were things she'd expected, but the pain they'd inflicted was more than she could handle. Her head began to pound from the memory of Shiho's look of fear and disgust and Sadayo was ready to leave when the door opened up Yukiko stepped out and gave a loud sigh of relief.

"Mind if I join you?"

"It's your house," said Sadayo with a soft chuckle.

"Thanks." Yukiko joined Sadayo at the edge of the porch and zipped up her jacket. "Colder than I expected."

Sadayo grinned sheepishly and said, "Want to swap places? The grill is still cooling down, so it's a bit warmer over here."

"No," Yukiko took a sip of her canned tea and smiled. "You're my guest, so the heat is all yours."

"Thank you." Sadayo sipped her soda again, and they sat in awkward silence for several minutes before Yukiko struck up the conversation again.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really." Sadayo downed the rest of her soda and stared out at the city-scape. "But I'm used to looks like the one she gave me. It's not the first time I've had someone look at me like that or treat me like I'm some sort of disease."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Yukiko stared out at the city along with her companion and said, "I don't think you're a disease by the way. You're a good teacher, and people should be thanking you for all the hard work you and your co-workers have done."

"I don't deserve your thanks." Sadayo brushed some hair out of her eyes and looked at Yukiko and saw just for the first time how much Ryuji took after her. "I treated Ryuji like crap for a long time, so I don't know why you'd want to thank me."

"That's true. You and some of the other teachers did treat him fairly poorly for a long time." Yukiko took a sip of her tea and swished it in her mouth for a moment. "Of course I was always raised to view people by how well they learn from their mistakes, and I'd say you learned quite a bit, so just take the damn compliment."

"And now I know for sure you're Ryuji's mother." Sadayo raised her can in a mock toast with Yukiko who was chuckling to herself.

"Considering I carried him with me for nine months and spent fifteen hours squeezing him out of my body, I'd be surprised if he wasn't mine."

"I didn't need to know that," chuckled Sadayo nearly dropping her can off the side of the building.

"Careful." Yukiko helped her catch the mostly empty can and set it down on one of the grills small side tables. "Don't want you to knock out an unsuspecting pedestrian."

"Thank you." Sadayo blushed in embarrassment as they settled back into their respectful silence. As they did the teens all began to grow slightly louder, and Sadayo could hear Makoto and Akira arguing playfully at some game they were playing. It made her smile to listen to his mood lifting, and Sadayo was about ready to head back in when Yukiko spoke up.

"How long have you two been together?"

"What are you talking about?" Sadayo's hands gripped the railing as she began to feel her heart race.

"You and Akira?" Yukiko sipped her tea, a smug smile on her lips. "How long have you two been going out?"

Sadayo could tell by the look in her eyes that the woman would see through any lie she came up with and asked, "When did you figure it out?"

"I could tell by how you two kept talking to each other and how you _tried_ to make it look like you two were uncomfortable sitting next to each other. I may be divorced, but there was a time I was like that with Ryuji's father. Our families were old friends, and when we started dating, we were so scared to tell them that we did the same thing. Overly polite conversation, _accidentally_ sitting next to each other at family functions and trying to look like we didn't enjoy it. I'm divorced not stupid."

"I'm sorry," Sadayo coughed afraid of what would come next. "We didn't...we weren't..."

"I know what you're trying to do." Yukiko set her can down and propped herself against the railing. "And I appreciate you two taking my feelings on the matter into consideration. I take it you two planned me meeting you downstairs before all this started."

"We didn't have a plan." Sadayo wasn't sure what their plan was, and she figured the truth would be better than a lie. "The truth is we were going to tell you that we were a couple, so you didn't worry about the others if you saw me hanging out with them. But, I said something stupid to him, and we aren't on the best terms right now." Sadayo felt stupid having to repeat herself again but she didn't have much of a choice. "I think the whole thing with Shiho-chan helped things by giving us something else to focus on, but I don't know what's going to happen now."

"Are you referring to him or me." Yukiko pointed at the door, her eyebrow cocked.

"Both, I guess." Sadayo felt her throat tightened and she prepared for the worst.

"In regards to him," sighed Yukiko as she stared at the group between the cracks in the door blinds, "I think you're fine. He's going to be mad for a bit, but he'll be calm in a day or two, maybe sooner. I don't know what you said but if the others know and they're able to have a bit of fun, they all can tell that he's processing it and you should be fine."

"That's good to know." Sadayo looked through the blinds as well and saw that Haru had somehow managed to get Akira in a headlock and was teasing him about something. She chuckled at the scene but recomposed herself quickly and asked, "But what about you?"

"Me?" Yukiko took a deep breath and clicked her tongue a few times before shrugging. "Like I've been saying I'm grateful for what you've done for them. They seem comfortable around you; they care about you obviously since my son felt it necessary to lie to me for the past several months about who Akira was dating."

Sadayo gave the woman a nervous grin which Yukiko returned.

"But I'm worried about all of them. I'm worried about what something like this will do to their futures." Yukiko turned to meet Sadayo's frustrated gaze but could see the resolve in the younger woman's eyes. "You are dating and living with a former student. I'm not going to report you for it, so don't worry about it. It's clear from how you two were acting that you take this seriously and I'm certain that you are well aware of what could happen if someone decided to investigate this further."

"I am." Sadayo had spent a lot of nights making sure she could stand up to any backlash from the school board if they decided to question her. "It's the primary reason we're fighting. I made the mistake of saying about how he would get off lighter than I would because he's still a kid."

"They all are, in varying ways." Yukiko shifted uncomfortably as a cold gust of wind blew by. "But they're adults that are figuring out their place in the world. They've all been through a lot, I don't know what, but I've seen my son's chest when he decides to walk around with a shirt on and despite the smile he puts on I know he's been hurt. Not just by Kamoshida but by others as well."

Sadayo started to say something, but Yukiko cut her off.

"I care about Akira almost as much as I love my son. He's a good boy, they're all good kids but what you're doing is incredibly dangerous." Yukiko let out a heavy sigh and gave Sadayo a tired look. "Just promise me that none of them will get hurt because if they do, I will protect them with what little power I have."

"I promise." Sadayo swallowed loudly and nodded. "I made the same promise to Akira that I'd protect him and me if and when that time comes. I don't want their futures at risk either, and I can assure you that I helped them because they're kids who deserved it, not because I was trying to keep them quiet about my relationship. They didn't even know about it until last summer and by that point…..,"

"Ryuji and Ann were already in that tutoring program you, Hiruta, and Usami started, I know." Yukiko nodded in understanding and pat Sadayo's hand. "I know you were doing what was best for them out of kindness, not out of some need to cover your tracks. I can tell by how you reacted to Shiho-chan that you were sensitive to what she needs. You're a good person, but as I said, that is my son in there, and I will protect him and his friends just as much as you would. So please, be careful."

"We will." Sadayo placed her hand on top of Yukiko's and nodded. "I promise."

"Good," grunted the older woman before yawning in what Sadayo recognized as a very Ryuji manner. "Now let's get back in there before they destroy my house, and I have to pay someone to clean up a crime scene."

Sadayo laughed and followed the woman inside where she put an end to the impromptu wrestling match that had erupted between Makoto and Futaba.

"All right, that's enough," ordered Yukiko clapping loudly. When they were separated, Yukiko pointed at Haru and said, "Haru, dear, can you please help me in the kitchen getting some dessert ready? I want your opinion on how to best prepare all that delicious fruit you brought."

"Can I help," offered Futaba bouncing happily. "I wanna take some home for Sojiro and maybe some of the leftover kebabs if that's all right?"

"Of course, sweetie." Yukiko gave Futaba a gentle pat on the cheek and pointed at the table where only a few kebabs remained. "Feel free to take what's left, dear. And tell your dad he's more than welcome to come next time. Ryuji!"

"What," grunted the teen as he stopped flipping through the channels to look at his mother.

"Help me with the dishes please?"

"Why do I have..." Ryuji stopped when he saw the look on his mother's face. "All right," he grumbled tossing the remote to Makoto. "Find something good, will ya?"

"I know just what to watch." Makoto immediately turned it to some movie about an organized crime family and began watching it intently with a manic smile on her face.

"I'll never understand your…," began Akira only to receive a light kick on the shin from the girl.

"Shut up, or else I'm gonna put our truce on hold." Makoto gave Sadayo a wink before returning her attention to the movie just as one of the gangsters ended up getting riddled with bullets.

"Truce?" Sadayo sat down on the floor next to Akira and asked, "What truce?"

"I'll tell you later," grunted Akira as he massaged the spot where Makoto had kicked him.

"Okay." Sadayo looked at his hand and risked putting her hand in it. She felt her heart jump when he squeezed her fingers.

"What'd you two talk about," he whispered to avoid incurring Makoto's wrath.

"About how she'd murder me if I hurt you or any of the others."

"Really," Akira turned his gaze from the movie to his girlfriend, eyes wide in shock that Yukiko had figured it out.

"Yeah," Sadayo adjusted her position and moved a little closer to him and was glad that he didn't move away. "She figured it out by how we were acting. She's not happy with us, but she's trusting us not to get them in trouble."

"As opposed to what?" Akira lifted his shirt and pointed at the scars on his stomach. "All the trouble we already got into?'

They both shared a nervous chuckle, and Akira inched a bit closer and whispered, "About earlier, about how I left you down there alone? That...I shouldn't have done that to you, but I...I didn't want to say something I'd regret or hurt you. I mean I ended up hurting you anyway, but what you said, about how they'd go easier on me just because of my age? It felt demeaning; like you didn't respect me."

"I know. I realized it right after I said that and I'm not proud of myself." Sadayo began massaging her thumb against his hand as she spoke. "I know you have a lot to lose and I don't mean just me. I know that what affects one of us affects the other and I'm sorry for belittling you like that."

"I'm sorry too." Akira ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I'm still a bit mad about it. Not as much as I was, but...I dunno I just can't shake it from my head. Does that...does that make me a bad boyfriend?"

"Of course not." Sadayo leaned in and gave him a cautious kiss on the cheek which he accepted graciously. "These things take time, and I'm not going anywhere so take all the time you need."

"Thanks, Sadayo." Akira moved a little closer and rested his head on her shoulder while Makoto whispered something about them finally letting her enjoy her movie in peace.

Blowing a quiet raspberry at the younger girl, Sadayo placed her cheek on Akira's head and grimaced when a man took a baseball bat to the face. But there wasn't much she could do. Instead, she was content to sit there and watch the movie, knowing that even though he was still mad, they'd reached an understanding.

Thankful that the scene shifted to something less violent, Sadayo kissed him on the top of the head and said, "You're welcome, Aki-kun."

After they separated, Makoto gave them both an annoyed look and growled, "Now that you two are done kissing, can you please shut the hell up?!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

There were three things Sadayo Kawakami despised while she was on her summer vacation.

The first being that she was required to go to work to deal with lesson plans and other issues with preparation for the upcoming term. The second was the days where she was so used to her work schedule that she was never able to sleep in and was forced to spend her time cleaning the apartment or working on other projects she had procrastinated on. The third was her most sacred, the one that she hated most of all; the dreaded early morning phone call.

Opening her eyes, she closed them immediately as sunlight leaked through the blinds, practically blinding her. Scooting closer, she found the long, lithe body of her boyfriend and tucked her face into his back. She felt him jerk and sleepily ask what she wanted.

"Can you answer the phone," she pleaded, her arm wrapping around his body.

"What time is it," he asked sleepily before hiding his face beneath the pillow.

Sadayo dared to glance at the clock that was on his side of the bed and growled, "It's just after eight."

"You answer it then. I need to sleep," Akira said drowsily as Sadayo began rubbing her hand along his side.

"Come on." Sadayo began kissing his neck and nuzzling his back. "You know how I get when people call this early."

"It's on your side of the bed," snipped Akira as he buried further into the blankets. "Lala-chan had me there until almost three. I had to split a cab with Ryuji just to get home."

"Did Lala at least pay you extra?" Sadayo sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes

"I got some extra, yeah. Ryuji got extra too since it was a theme night, so we had a lot more customers than normal. " Akira rolled over onto his stomach, revealing to Sadayo that he'd come to bed naked.

"Fine," she sighed kissing him on the cheek before slapping him on the butt just as the phone quit ringing.

He growled quietly, but she could tell he liked it. After seeing that it was an unknown number that had called, Sadayo set the phone back on her bedside table and moved closer to him. He didn't budge, and she could hear his breathing. It was slow and steady which meant that he'd fallen back asleep, which was perfect for what she had in mind. Since his summer break had started Akira'd been working almost non-stop to make sure Lala and Iwai were ready for him to leave on his vacation, but it also made him want to sleep the days away.

Most of the time she was okay with it since he was usually well compensated for his hard work, which helped put them ahead on several of their bills and savings. But seeing as today was their first Sunday off together in weeks, she wanted to do more than just cuddle.

Taking off her shirt and panties, Sadayo pressed her bare chest against his back and began kissing his neck while her hands massaged his scars. He grumbled sleepily, and Sadayo grinned as she moved her hands down his body. He smelt faintly of tobacco and liquor, but Sadayo was used to it. She was beginning to enjoy his scent after a long night's work, and she found it strangely tantalizing.

When her fingers brushed against his pubic hair, she felt him twitch, but he didn't wake. Sadayo took this as a sign that she could move forward with her plan and began running her hand along his crotch.

Her fingers continued their work, and slowly she felt him begin to warm up. His body shifted beneath the covers, and he mumbled quietly about how good it felt. Even though he was still asleep and Sadayo was careful with how she touched him. After sleeping together for so long, some nights one wrong touch could send him into a panic and Sadayo was always cautious with how she proceeded.

As she continued to kiss him, Sadayo felt his cock begin to grow under her touch, and as she prepared to massage his growing erection, the phone rang again, making her sigh in frustration at once again being interrupted.

"Who is it this time?" Akira sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked down at the bulge in the sheets. He cocked an eyebrow at Sadayo, realizing what she'd been doing to him and asked, "Seriously?"

"I was just trying to have some fun. Besides I thought you liked it when I played with you in your sleep?" Sadayo gave him a wink before checking the phone's call log. Once again it was the same unknown number, and as Akira disappeared into the bathroom, she answered the call.

"Who is this," she asked, justifiably upset with the interruption.

"Well it's about time you picked up," came an unfamiliar voice on the other end.

"I'm sorry?" Sadayo was both confused and taken aback by the rudeness of the caller.

"You should be sorry," replied the woman sounding agitated. "You said you'd call me two weeks ago and I haven't heard a thing since. You had your father, and I worried half to death, Akira."

Sadayo's blood froze when she heard the woman say Akira's name and the slow realization of who she was talking to slowly sunk in.

"Akira, are you listening to me?" The woman's voice was growing more upset by the second, and Sadayo knew she had to do something to calm her down.

"Ummm, ma'am," began Sadayo after recovering from this revelation, "I'm not Akira."

"What?" Sachiko sounded puzzled but after a moment asked, "Well, where is my son?"

"He's…..," the bathroom door opened as Sadayo began to speak and when Akira appeared she mouthed, "It's your mother."

At those words, Akira immediately turned on his heel, shut the bathroom door behind him, and started the shower.

"He's in the shower," replied Sadayo as she fought the urge to follow him into the bathroom and force him to talk to his mother.

"Oh, I thought he was on summer vacation?" The agitation subsided slightly, but Sadayo could still tell she was upset. "Why's he up so early?"

"He is on vacation, and we were sleeping until you called," answered Sadayo as she began trying to figure out how to handle this conversation. "I can have him call you back if you want?"

"Are you his girlfriend?"

Sadayo felt her face flush at the question but firmly answered, "Yes, I am. You can call me Sadayo if you like, Kurusu-san."

"Is that your family name or first name," Sachiko asked in a motherly voice. "And please dear call me Sachiko, you're going to be visiting us soon, and I don't want there to be any confusion about whether or not you're talking to my husband or me."

"It's my first name," Sadayo answered hesitantly. "I'm sorry I haven't called you. Akira said you wanted me to but we've both been rather busy the past couple of months with work, not to mention he never gave me your number."

There was truth in both of these statements, but after Akira had abandoned her Sadayo was more than willing to throw him under the bus.

"Why should he," sighed Sachiko on the other end. "It's not like my husband, and I would like to get to know the woman our son is living with a bit before we welcome her into our home."

"He does tend to leave things until the last minute."

Both women chuckled at this and Sadayo asked, "Are you and your husband okay with me coming to visit? Akira told me about how you two reacted to finding out that he would be living with me and I don't want to put anyone out."

"You aren't putting us out, Sadayo-chan." Sadayo was surprised to hear Sachiko sound somewhat amused at this. "We have plenty of room and food. You are an important person to our son, and from what little he's told us, you've been a good influence on him. We just wish you two would have told us about the two of you before he left, that's all."

"Thank you very much, and I promise that I will make up for not telling you during our visit." Sadayo's face felt warm at hearing Akira had talked her up to his parents but she needed to keep her cool. "I know we still have some time before our visit, but is there anything you need me to do or bring over, just to make things easier? Like any spices or ingredients? Maybe a book for your husband? Extra food or gifts?"

"We're all set here, dear. But the gesture is very much appreciated." Almost all of the anger in her voice was gone, but Sadayo could still sense the smallest amount of frustration. "Just be sure to tell that lazy son of mine to call me as soon as he can, deal?"

"Deal," replied Sadayo with a small smile. "I'll get on his case as soon as I'm able."

"See that you do. It was a pleasure to finally talk to you, Sadayo-chan and we look forward to meeting you. Have a good day."

"And you as well, Sachiko-san." There was a small click, and after setting the phone on the bedside table, Sadayo marched into the bathroom to find Akira stepping out of the shower.

"How'd it go," he asked with a carefree grin.

"You're an asshole." Sadayo reached out and gave him a sharp slap on the shoulder. "What the hell were you thinking pulling something like that?'

Akira gave her a nervous smile and shrugged saying, "I don't know. She's been bugging me to have you call her, but you aren't home during the day to do it, so I thought that since you answered it, you could just get it out of the way."

"Really? That's your reasoning?" Sadayo stomped forward and pressed a finger repeatedly into his chest as she said, "Because she told me you've been ducking her phone calls."

"It was only a couple," retorted Akira as he brushed her finger away from his chest. "She calls me every two days to check up on me. I asked her to stop, but she keeps doing it."

"Then you keep telling her to stop until she gets the message." Sadayo crossed her arms and glowered at her boyfriend. "You don't just pawn her off on me because you're afraid to talk to her."

"I'm not afraid of her," scoffed Akira as he began drying off. "She just wears me down, and I want a little peace. She calls me when I'm in the middle of class sometimes. If your mom called you that often you'd stop answering her calls too."

"Maybe." Sadayo had to admit that he had a point. "But that doesn't excuse your whole turning around and leaving me to deal with her. You could have asked me if I'd have liked to talk to her once you were done."

"You're right," conceded Akira after hanging up his towel. "You're right, and I'm sorry."

"Damn right you are." Sadayo pulled away from him as he tried to pull her into a kiss and headed into the room to begin getting dressed. "And as restitution, you're going to pay for our food today."

"Sadayo it's….," Akira stopped and rolled his eyes when he saw the time on the small clock radio they kept in the bathroom. "It's not even nine, can I please get a little bit more sleep before we head out?"

"If you wanted to sleep you should have answered your mother's call instead of showering." Sadayo buttoned her jeans up and began looking for a top to wear. "So as punishment we're leaving early. You know how busy it gets on Sundays and I don't want to fight the crowds more than I have to."

"Can we please go back to bed?" Akira put the weight of his naked body onto her back and began rubbing her stomach while planting soft kisses on her neck. "I promise we'll still go out, just let me sleep a bit longer."

Sadayo could feel him press his crotch against her butt and she knew what he was trying to do, but she wasn't having any of his trickery.

"You want to sleep," she asked turning around in his arms and giving him a small kiss and brushing the hair out of his face.

"Mmm hmm," he nodded and gave a loud yawn before resting his head on her shoulder. "I need my flying squirrel to keep me company."

"You just had to bring that up," snickered Sadayo as she kissed him. She could feel the goosebumps on his arms and chest. She fought the urge to take him back to bed and pushed him away. "But if you wanted to cuddle then you shouldn't have gotten out of bed. So get your sleepy butt dressed so you can buy me food and a take me out to that movie you've owed me for the past couple weeks."

"Why do I have to pay for the food and the movie?" Akira let his weight fall against her and began kissing her neck again. "I worked a late shift, not to mention I'm already covering the extra cash for this stupid thing we're picking up for Eiko. Can't you cook us breakfast to save me some money?"

"Uh uh," Sadayo grunted as she pushed him away again. "That's not going to work this time. But, if it makes you feel better I'll pick us up something for dinner, and if you're good for the day, I may throw in a massage."

"Fine," groaned Akira as he trudged over to the dresser. "But I get to pick what we eat."

"I'm fine with that." Sadayo risked giving him another kiss and was somewhat surprised he didn't try to take things to the bed. "I'm going to feed Mona and call Futaba to tell her we're going to be leaving soon, okay?"

"Sounds good," answered Akira as he began pulling on a pair of black briefs.

Out in the living room, Mona came running up to her and began meowing loudly at her and rubbing against her leg expectantly.

"I'm not giving you any extra," she chuckled when the cat began pawing her thigh. Ever since she'd learned Mona could talk, Sadayo hadn't been swayed by any of his attempts at typical feline behavior and instead questioned his every motive on top of listening to as many conversations as she could between the cat and Akira.

Mona gave what Sadayo recognized as an annoyed meow at her denial and headed into the kitchen. Following him, Sadayo found some of the leftover fish she'd cooked the previous night and began dicing it up into bite-sized chunks. Mona started to meow happily and stood up on his hind legs making a weird hopping motion as Sadayo brought the small plate over to him. Setting it down, she patted Mona on the head just as Akira appeared dressed in some shorts and a green long-sleeved tee-shirt.

"You need to learn to be more polite, Mona." Akira stepped into the kitchen and poked the cat in the belly and chuckled. "I think it's about time for you to go on a diet."

The cat turned and began a long series of angry meows at her boyfriend and Sadayo giggled as Akira started arguing.

"No, I'm not going to take away your treats completely, but you're going to need to go out more if you want Ann to take you seriously if you ever turn into a human."

Sadayo was always interested in the possibility of Mona turning into a human, but so far they hadn't seen any signs of that happening. Akira had told her about how they transformed on missions, but so far she hadn't seen any pictures of what they looked like, and her curiosity was reaching its peak. While Akira and Mona continued their argument, Sadayo got into her socks and shoes and shouted for Akira to hurry up.

"You'll go next time," snapped Akira as Mona followed him out, meowing loudly. "Because we're going to Akihabara and I don't need you getting lost that far away from the apartment."

The cat meowed again, and Akira growled. "You ran off after something you thought was a food vendor and ended up in Ginza! So why should I trust..."

Mona let out a low growl, and Akira narrowed his eyes at the cat.

"Don't even think about trying to follow us." The cat meowed again, and Akira grunted, "I don't care if Futaba is going with us, but if you want to go somewhere, you can head to LeBlanc and hang out with Boss for the day."

Mona spat at Akira and ran toward the window before letting out a loud meow and climbing down the escape ladder.

"What was that about?"

Akira snorted at the window and turned to his girlfriend and said, "You didn't hear what we were fighting about?"

"I meant the last part." Sadayo was getting vexed at his attitude but was used to it after how many times she'd seen Mona and Akira get into similar arguments.

"He just told me he wouldn't come back if that's the way I was going to treat him. I'm used to it, and if he doesn't come back tonight, he'll probably stay with Futaba and Boss for a few days to cool off."

"You aren't worried about him?" Sadayo knew that Mona could take care of himself, but she was still worried.

"He's done this before after he and Ryuji got into a huge fight." Akira began putting on his shoes as he spoke. "He disappeared for a few weeks, and this isn't nearly as bad as that fight. So I give him two days of hanging out with Boss and Futaba or one of the others before he's either brought home or comes home with his tail between his legs and we'll apologize to each other."

"Is it just me or is he more of a little brother than a pet," asked Sadayo as they headed out into the hallway.

"That's a pretty fair assessment of our relationship," chuckled Akira after locking the door. They boarded the elevator, and Akira let out a loud yawn before continuing. "He's loud, annoying, and we fight over the dumbest things, but I like having him around."

"I do too." Sadayo took his hand, and they headed out into the hallway just as the landlady entered the entryway.

"Kawakami-san! Kurusu-kun!"

"Hosokawa-san!" Sadayo's face lit up at seeing the elderly land-lady. "What are you doing out this early?"

"Early morning walk and a visit to the market." Fujiko held up three large bulging bags that most women her age wouldn't be able to lift and smiled. "I got some lovely new seasonal teas that I want to try. You'll be by on Saturday evening right?"

"I will," answered Sadayo happily at the prospect of one of having a relaxing afternoon tea. "I have a meeting that day, but I should be done by two. So does three-thirty sound good?"

"Sounds lovely dear," Fujiko gave Akira a smile and asked, "Would you like to join us, Kurusu-kun?"

"I have to work," answered Akira regretfully. "We're heading to my parents soon so I'm trying to get ahead on some work at my jobs before leaving and I do have a few assignments for classes that I need to finish too."

"Well then focus on your work and school," Fujiko ordered with a playful grin. "Then you two can have a stress free, and relaxing holiday. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to get these groceries put away before some of them melt."

"Do you need help," asked Akira after seeing some of the larger items.

"You two get out of here and enjoy your day off," huffed Fujiko at the couple and waving at the door. "I've survived twenty-five years on my own, and I've managed just fine. The one thing you two can do to help me is going out and have some fun, so get going."

The two of them chuckled and reminded her to call them if she needed help and after another scolding, they left and hopped the train to Akihabara.

It was a lovely day with a bright blue sky, blazing sun and a few clouds that did little to lessen the heat, and as usual, the district was completely packed. The alleys and streets were filled with people; both local and foreign were laden with goods from all the different shops. Electronics, figures, clothes, DVDs, games, whatever they wanted for a particular fandom most of the stores either had or could get, and today they were here for something particularly rare.

Sadayo had never gotten used to this part of the city. Even though she'd visited it a few times as a maid, most of the shops never interested her, along with several items that would put a few of the stores in Shinjuku to shame. There had been a few times when Akira requested her that she'd had to travel from Akihabara to his place and as she headed to the station she couldn't help but wonder about a few of the products in the windows. The sight of the occasional action figure or movie playing in a shop window would have her wondering about his interests and if he hadn't been helping her if he'd spend his money on the things she'd seen.

She remembered before they were dating how she'd seen a poster of some famous idol on his wall or how she'd pondered over the odd souvenirs he said he'd gotten from hanging out with his friends. They had made her curious about his life, and occasionally she'd find him in a part of the city she was as she worked one of her several part-time jobs.

On one particularly stressful day, she'd been working a delivery job, dropping off some prescriptions for an elderly customer when she'd seen him hanging out with a blonde woman she didn't recognize. She'd looked harmless enough, dressed in a long-sleeved shirt, dress, and a black bandanna. Sadayo hadn't planned on following them, but their destination was near the drug store she was working at, so she had little choice in the matter.

She'd hung back enough so as not to seem suspicious, her years of hiding her job as a maid making it easy for her to blend in with the crowd without sticking out. Sadayo remembered being jealous of the woman, but at the time, she didn't know why. She'd thought it was because he was spending time with the blonde woman when Akira had said he was going to deal with the Takase's or because she'd been unable to face the fact that for a long time she'd been feeling something more than friendship for her student. Whatever the reason had been at the time, there was no doubt that Sadayo wanted to know more about him. So when, Sadayo saw the two of them stop in front of an old used bookstore and begin discussing books on things like fortune telling, music, and other topics, Sadayo felt both proud at learning something new about him, but a hint of shame as well.

The shame came from the fact that she'd spent so much time following a student for reasons that were utterly unprofessional. She'd told herself over and over that she was following him because she was worried about her student and afraid that someone would take advantage of him like Taiki. But when she saw him pick up a couple of romance novels that she'd mentioned during one of their evening conversations while he studied and she cleaned, Sadayo felt her face burn red and had to leave immediately.

Now, in the middle of one of the busiest markets in the country, Sadayo couldn't believe that the man who'd flustered her so much by picking up a few books, was now embarrassing her by asking how he looked in some gaudy cosplay cape while he attempted to look like a superhero.

"It doesn't suit you," she chuckled as a few of their fellow consumers rolled their eyes as he enthusiastically flourished the item.

"Really?" Akira looked in one of the windows and flapped some of the excess lengths before dropping his arms in disappointment. "Yeah, you're right? I feel like an idiot in this thing."

"Now you feel like an idiot?" Sadayo rolled her eyes while her boyfriend hung the cape back up on the rack. "You didn't feel like one while you were dancing around like a dog that needed to go to the bathroom?"

"Not until I saw my reflection," sighed Akira while Sadayo wrapped her arm around his.

"At least you didn't break the window," Sadayo giggled as she kissed his cheek. "We didn't need that expense hitting our bank accounts."

"I'm not that clumsy," Akira growled back playfully before yawning.

"I didn't say you were clumsy." Sadayo stepped away and winked impishly while Akira pored over her words in confusion.

"Are you calling me ugly," he asked after about thirty seconds, and when Sadayo nodded, he took off after her while she ducked through the crowd.

"Excuse me, coming through," she repeated over and over again as the people gathered around her. She could hear him shouting at her, but she only laughed and shouted back, "You gotta catch me first!"

"Sadayo!" Akira finally broke through a large group of people, and Sadayo felt his hand on the back of her shirt.

"No," she giggled as he pulled her back and picked her up as he began kissing her neck and shoulders.

"You're not that fast," he growled in her ear as he set her down in a small mostly empty side street.

"I'm fast enough," she hummed while letting him press her against the wall. "I would have gotten away if it wasn't for the crowds."

"I doubt that." Akira leaned in and kissed her longingly, and she returned it just as eagerly.

A familiar tingle spread throughout her body as they kissed. As usual, Akira was gentle and warm, his touch light and the soft feeling of his lips were more than welcome. Most days she'd been happy with them being able to kiss like this on the couch or a maybe a quickie before bed, but now that they'd had more time alone together they'd been making up for a lot of lost time the past few weeks.

"Don't," she begged when she felt his thumb rub a sensitive spot just beneath her breast.

"You want me to stop?" His voice had a husky edge to it, and Sadayo felt her knees grow weak. "Like you stopped the night you found about Morgana?"

"You said you were fine with it," she whimpered as he nipped her earlobe, aware that a few people were looking at them.

"I was," he chuckled as his hand moved to her hip. "But you know what they say about turnabout."

"I do," she whispered feeling a small amount of moisture begin to form between her legs. "But when we get home, okay? You know I'm not big on public displays."

"Can't blame me for trying," he chuckled before kissing her on the forehead and pressing his own against her, a puckish grin on his face.

"You're mean," she sighed as her body began to calm.

"So are you," he retorted before giving her a chaste kiss on the lips. "But I still love you."

"I love you too," she smiled before taking his hands and pulling them back into the main street. "So where are we meeting up with Futaba and this friend of hers that told her about the store?"

"Shouldn't be too much further," answered Akira as he tiredly rubbed his eyes. "I need some food and coffee though."

"Me too." Sadayo patted her belly and gave him a hopeful look. "Can we eat after we meet up with Futaba?"

"Absolutely," answered Akira painfully. "I'm glad I got tonight off. I'm going to sleep all day before my shift tomorrow."

"Maybe you will and maybe you won't," teased Sadayo with a wink.

"What's that supposed to mean," Akira teased back as they rounded a corner.

"You'll find out soon enough." Sadayo clung to his arm some more, and they made their way to the spot where Futaba asked them to meet.

"Where is she," moaned Sadayo as she slumped against the side of a building. "I swear it's like a damn oven out here today!"

"I'll try texting her again," panted Akira before downing the rest of his bottled water.

They'd been waiting for twenty minutes already, and in that time the sun had gotten brighter and the day hotter. They could have gone into one of the many stores, but many of them were packed, and the last thing they wanted was to be packed into a store with a bunch of sweaty bodies. As she wiped some sweat from he forehead, Sadayo noticed the long streaks of sweat pouring down Akira's shirt, and she pointed at a nearby store.

"Do you want me to go and buy a short-sleeved shirt for you? You're going to cook in that thing."

"I'll be fine," answered Akira and after pocketing his phone, he pulled off the long-sleeved green shirt to reveal a matching tank-top underneath.

As he tied the shirt around his waist, several people walking by took notice of this and a few even stopped to point at some of the scars that had become more apparent thanks to his tan. He paid them little attention, and after dabbing some sweat from his eyes, Akira heard the faint sound of someone yelling at him.

Standing up, Sadayo joined him in searching for who was shouting, and after a minute she noticed a boy about her height wearing a red hat, a blue shirt and shorts running toward them.

"YO! Kurusu!" The boy had a massive smile on his face and Sadayo was relieved that Akira had a similar smile plastered on as well.

"Shinya!" Akira waved at the boy which confused Sadayo.

Sadayo'd heard the name before, but she couldn't place it, and after nearly being knocked over by the kid, Sadayo was glad she couldn't remember him or else she would have smacked him.

"Sorry, lady." Shinya gave Sadayo a curious look and shrugged before punching Akira playfully in the stomach. "What the hell man? When did you get back?!"

"A few months ago." Akira gave Shinya a punch of his own before stealing his hat and holding it over his head. "You're still wearing this thing? Doesn't your school have a dress code against this crap?"

"Come on, man! Give it back." Shinya tried to retrieve his cap but gave up after a few attempts. "You're a dick."

"Give it back." Sadayo pulled Akira's arm down and gave the hat back to the boy. "Here you go, Shinya-kun."

"Uh, thanks." Shinya put the hat back on stared at Sadayo for a moment. She could see he was sizing her up and she was willing to give him a second chance until he decided to open his mouth.

"So why'd you help me, grandma?"

Akira's hand reached out at the same time as Sadayo's, but he was too slow to stop Shinya from getting smacked in the head

"What was that for?!" Shinya glared up at them, focusing primarily on Akira. "Jeez, I thought we were cool, and you're just gonna let...who the hell are you?!"

"I'm his girlfriend you disrespectful, little brat," growled Sadayo as she stuffed Shinya's hat down over his face.

"This old bag is your girlfriend? Ow!" Shinya glared at Akira after his friend smacked him in the ear again. "Damn, if I'd known I was gonna get hit I woulda told Futaba to forget about asking me to help her."

"You're the person who found the shop with the idol figure that we need to buy?" Sadayo's eyebrows raised in surprise at this information.

"Well yeah," Shinya's face turned bright red at the glee in Sadayo's voice and pointed down the street. "I live pretty close to here, and I hang out at an arcade where I taught this idiot how to shoot back...does she know?"

"Yeah, she knows." Akira pointed at one of his scars and winked at Shinya. "Be a little awkward if I told her I got these just from owning a cat, though now that I think about it some of these are from Mona."

"Makes sense, " muttered Shinya before waving at them to follow him. "Anyway, I met this idiot back when he needed help with this guy who was screwing people over in the arcades, so I taught him a few tricks and the guy ain't been seen since."

"You got lessons from a ten-year-old," snickered Sadayo at her now blushing boyfriend.

"I'm almost twelve," shouted Shinya, his ears the same shade of red as his hat. "I'm gonna be in middle school soon, so you better quit teasing me you old bat."

"Watch it, kid," Sadayo didn't hit him this time, but the face she had on was menacing enough that even Akira was starting to get scared. "Don't think you're safe just because Akira's here."

"Whatever," snorted Shinya, his voice much quieter now that he'd gotten a sense of how dangerous she could be. "But yeah, I gave him some tips to help deal with those jerks he was waging war against, and I can't complain since it looks like he and his friends won in the end."

"You make a good case," hummed Sadayo before looking at Akira and poking him in the cheek. "Still can't believe you had to have a kid teach you how to shoot."

"I needed all the help I could get," answered Akira pointing at one of the dozens of arcades in the area. "You know I couldn't just walk up and ask someone to teach me how to use a gun. Figured asking the King for help would be easier if I could convince him I needed to improve my gaming skills."

"'The King'," snorted Sadayo into her hand at hearing Shinya's nickname. "This little twerp is called 'The King'?"

"Damn right I am," exclaimed the boy sticking out his chest in pride. "I hardly ever get beaten, and I'm a legend around here. I even got a loyal crew that I've been training."

"If you're not careful your head is gonna blow up from all that swelling," teased Sadayo with a light tap to the back of Shinya's head.

"I've got it under control," groaned Shinya before looking at Akira curiously. "Speaking of which, you been keeping up with your training?" Shinya made a shooting motion with his finger and pointed at one of the arcades. "We can stop and have a quick game before meeting up with my friend at the store if you want."

"We'll see how we're doing on time after we pick this thing up for my sister." Akira let out another loud yawn and shook his head to wake himself up.

"How the heck did you even get involved in this?" Akira had been wondering about this since Shinya had first mentioned Futaba. "I mean I know Futaba's a regular down here, but the chances of you two meeting are kinda slim."

"We met on a retro-gaming forum for local gamers," answered Shinya nonchalantly. "I told her I knew a few people thanks to all the time I spent in the arcades. She asked me which arcade, I told her, and we just started hanging out. She said she was gonna try and meet up with us, but she said something about helping her dad do the shopping for his shop."

"You got a crush," teased Akira when he heard the disappointment in Shinya's voice. He tried to pull the boy into a headlock, but the kid ran off making Akira chase after him.

"No, I don't!" Shinya tried to fight back, but Sadayo could tell it was a half-hearted attempt. Picking up her pace, Sadayo watched as Akira and Shinya argued over the truth about Shinya's feelings about Futaba. It wasn't hard to see that he did have a bit of a crush since instead of fighting off Akira, Shinya spent most of his time trying to hide his face beneath his hat while Akira gave him a hard noogy.

"It's okay if you do, Shinya." Akira let the boy go after a grinding his fist into the top of the boy's head a few more times. "Just don't get too attached. Futaba's been through a lot, and she's slow to trust people. Not to mention she can be a bit..."

"Oblivious," offered Sadayo while Akira tried to figure out what word to use.

"That's not that far off," agreed Akira before pulling Shinya back by the neck of his shirt. The boy was still upset at the teasing and Sadayo could tell by the look on Akira's face that he wanted to make it right.

"What do you want?" The boy tried to pull away again but after a failed attempt allowed Akira and Sadayo to pull him off to the side for a quick chat.

"I'm sorry for teasing you," answered Akira gently while patting the boy on the head. "I'm glad you like her, she needs friends. But believe me when I say that Futaba can be a bit dense sometimes. She probably won't notice if you like her, and will just continue to treat you like a friend. If that happens, or she shoots you down, can you promise me that you'll be her friend and not hate her?"

"I wouldn't hate her," sniffed Shinya, and gave Akira a nervous smile. "She's my friend and has always been nice to me, and we have fun together. And you're right I like her, but I don't know what kind of like it is, so quit teasing me about it okay?"

"You got a deal." Akira raised his fist, and the two boys pounded them together. "If ya got any questions though just call me, okay?"

"Sure." Shinya gave Sadayo a cautious sideways glance. He looked like he wanted to ask Akira something, but the look vanished quickly, and he ushered them toward the store.

When they arrived, Sadayo wasn't exactly surprised by the appearance of the shop. Like most of the other stores in the area, it was loud and gregarious with its displays, but Sadayo and Akira couldn't help but note that it was a lot less busy than the others. Sadayo preferred it this way. Even with her and Akira becoming more relaxed with each other as a couple, they were always wary of large crowds where others might see them.

"Come on," grumbled Shinya as they stared at the televisions blaring idol videos, video game cutscenes, and animes. "Let's get this over with."

Sadayo and Akira followed closely behind him since most of the shelves were filled with action figures, games, cosplay outfits, and other paraphernalia the couple weren't familiar with. While Shinya disappeared toward the back, shouting the name, "Ariel," Sadayo took to inspecting the shelves. Most of it was the usual fare, sweets, figures, or even bits of costume material, but after a bit of snooping one item, in particular, caught her attention.

"What the…," Sadayo picked up a small box with a picture of a cute girl on it and turned it over before hastily putting it down on the shelf and tried to hide her embarrassment while Akira began fastening a helmet with aviator goggles onto his head.

"Find something interesting," he asked walking over to his girlfriend.

"No," squeaked Sadayo, her head shaking violently trying to get the lewd picture of what looked like an underaged girl in a questionable position out of her mind.

"What is it," Akira rested his head on her shoulder and grabbed the same box Sadayo had and set it down just as quickly. "Uhhhhh… is...is that thing what I think it is?"

"I think so," gasped Sadayo as she looked worriedly at Shinya. "Are you sure we should be letting him wander around on his own?"

"You make a good point." Akira scanned the price labels and picked up the box as they headed up to the shelf.

"Why did you pick it up?!" Sadayo looked around for any other customers but saw that the other customers weren't paying attention to them. "Don't tell me you plan on buying that!"

"Why would I buy it when I have you?" Both of them blushed when they realized Akira had said that loud enough for other people to hear him. Scratching his hair beneath the fake helmet, Akira leaned in and whispered, "It wasn't labeled on the shelf so I'm just going to give it to the cashier so they can put it where it needs to go."

"Sure you are," sighed Shinya making both Akira and Sadayo jump. "Settle down, Kurusu, I ain't gonna judge you for buying something pervy. Though that helmet on the other hand," Shinya snapped a picture of Akira and grinned malevolently. "I'm sending this to Futaba right now."

"Shinya…," threatened Akira but it was already too late.

"And sent," chuckled Shinya as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket. "Let me know how that goes later."

"I'm gonna kill you," growled Akira as he pulled the helmet off and reached for Shinya who promptly ducked out of the older boys grasp.

"If you didn't want him to do that, why were you wearing it?" Sadayo had been curious about why he chose that particular item and sighed. "And why'd you wear that cape earlier?"

"You've been looking a bit upset today, so I thought I'd be a bit of a joker for you, ya know?' Akira put the helmet back, took his glasses off before affixing the goggles to his face. "What do you think? Think I can take down the Red Baron?"

"Only if you can survive the beating you'll get for making such horrible puns, you blockhead," sighed Sadayo after rolling her eyes at how Akira had used his old code name.

"Please don't," pleaded a voice from behind the counter. "I just had the floors cleaned, and I don't need blood on my merchandise."

A blonde, slightly tanned, and thin looking woman was smiling at the three of them from next to the cash register. She was wearing a tee-shirt emblazoned with two girls, one with black hair, the other with blond, and was wearing some ripped jeans.

"Oda, can you please not start another fight," she asked while waving them over. "It's bad enough you, and Futaba lost me a couple of customers thanks to that stupid gaming argument you got into two weeks ago."

"Fine, Ariel-chan." Shinya backed away from Akira and headed toward the counter and pointed at the couple. "This is Kurusu and…..what's your name again?"

"Kawakami," sighed Sadayo with a polite bow. "Kawakami Sadayo."

"Tanaka Ariel," replied the woman with a bow of her own. "Welcome to my little slice of heaven; I hear you two are looking for a figure of Urata Misato."

"Yeah, we are." Akira bowed back and waved Ariel forward, making sure he kept his hand hidden from Shinya. "Before we get started, we found this on one of the shelves over there, and it didn't look like it was supposed to be there."

Ariel took the item and wandered off to a corner to examine it. Within seconds she dumped it into the garbage and dusted her hands off, a triumphant smile on her face.

"Someone's out at least five-thousand yen," she chuckled as she began digging through some small boxes. "People need to learn to keep an eye on their stuff. I may sell the occasional risque item, but shit like that isn't something I like keeping on my shelves. I get a lot of kids and parents in here, don't want to lose my clientele, ya know?"

"That's a sound business model," chuckled Akira with a nervous glance at Shinya who was no longer paying attention to their conversation.

"Yeah well, I do what I gotta do like any other small business in this town. There you are you little..." she popped up and turned around with a slightly beaten box. "Sorry for the condition but I had to hunt a long time for this. So is this for you or your girlfriend?"

"Neither," echoed the couple making Ariel roll her eyes.

"Look, I'm not going to judge you if you like stuff like this. I've got a couple I'm a fan of and not for nothin' my girlfriend, and I go to a couple of concerts a year just for the hell of it."

"Hiromi-chan goes to those concerts," snickered Shinya from the shelf of Gundam models he was currently inspecting.

"I don't know what you're laughing about," shot back Ariel with a toothy grin. "Weren't you the one I saw that was fawning over…

"All right, all right, you made your point." Shinya headed closer to the entrance, hidden by several models and action figures while the other patrons laughed to themselves.

"But seriously, who's it for," asked Ariel looking at Sadayo. "You look like you've had some experience with this kind of fandom before."

"Back when I was about eight," chuckled Sadayo as she looked fondly at one of the Featherman figures on the shelf. "But I never really paid much attention to stuff like this. His sister, on the other hand, has a small obsession."

"Ah," clicked Ariel with an understanding nod. "Younger or older? I'm not asking for any kind of perverted reasons; I'm just curious."

"She's a high school first year back in my hometown," coughed Akira nervously. "Stuff like this is hard to come by so she asked me to pick a few things up for her, and this is the last one on the list."

"Well, she's got a pretty cool older brother. Wish my older sister was as supportive as you." Ariel let out a heavy sigh as she began wrapping up the box in some plain brown paper. "She's always complaining that I'm not doing enough to grow my business, but she doesn't realize how much I sell online. Maybe I'll show her my taxes next year to shut her up., right?"

"That's one way to show her," agreed Sadayo rather nervously as she watched Ariel slip something into the box. "Do you mind if we inspect it before paying?"

"What? Oh, yeah of course." Ariel offered up the box and laughed nervously. "Sorry, I got lost in my own world for a minute. I'll leave you to it while I help everyone else."

"I'm never gonna get used to this," sighed Akira as he opened the box. "Eiko better pay me back in spades for doing this for her."

"You're preaching to the choir, love." Sadayo helped with the unboxing and was surprised to see that the figurine was oddly dull in regards to the other ones she'd helped him pick up. The last one she'd picked up with him was a young man who was practically naked and in a pose that even Sadayo found embarrassing, which was saying something given her experience as a maid, but this particular model she liked.

The figure was quite life-like, and the girl had lovely black hair with elaborate braids and blue eyes. She was wearing a pretty black sequined dress that wasn't too ornate and rather plain for most idols, but Eiko found her rather adorable and had been bugging Akira for this one the most.

"See anything wrong with it," asked Akira as he continued his investigation.

"Nothing that I can see," answered Sadayo, a bit annoyed that she had way too much knowledge about the condition of idol figurines, "but we'll know once Eiko gets it."

"Yeah, we will." Akira rubbed his hair in frustration as he remembered the last time the postal service had damaged one of the boxes. "She's still bugging me about the items we have in that bag we're bringing with us." Akira placed everything back into the box along with the small card that Ariel had included.

"Business card?" Sadayo gave the box a curious look and watched as Akira began counting the money in his wallet.

"Yep." Akira pulled the card back out showing it to be a simple everyday card. "Now she has someone else she can bother about this stuff instead of me."

"Ah don't be like that," laughed Ariel as she reappeared with some brown packing paper. "You know you enjoy spoiling her like this."

"I feel bad for her," yawned Shinya finally rejoining the conversation. "He may look all nice and act cool, but he can be a real jerk."

"Only because you're a disrespectful ass," grumbled Akira as he handed over the money for the item. "Can you ship this as well?"

"Sure." Ariel handed over a shipping form, and Akira filled it out and she had to stop him from handing over more money. "Don't worry about the cost. I've had to ship to your town before, and it's only a few hundred yen."

"Uhh, okay. Thanks." Akira was surprised that Ariel was so accommodating after only one visit.

"Just make sure you keep on coming back if you need specialty items, okay cutie?" Ariel reached out and gave Sadayo a pat on the cheek making the teacher blush and back away, while Akira chuckled and Shinya rolled his eyes.

"Ummm...what...I don't…"

"Relax, Kawakami-san," laughed Ariel along with Shinya and Akira. "I'm just teasing you. I'm taken and it's plain to see that you are too given how cozy you two got over there earlier."

"Yeah, she's all mine," chuckled Akira as he wrapped his arm around Sadayo's waist and kissed her on the cheek. "So don't get any ideas."

"I know a losing battle when I see it," teased Ariel with a wink before turning to Shinya. "You buying anything today or just here helping out?"

"Nope," grumbled Shinya as he pointed at Akira. "I'm just here for the free lunch and movie Futaba said he'd buy us as repayment."

"Smart move kid." Ariel patted Shinya on the head before returning to her work. "Well you three have fun, I hope to see y'all again soon."

After saying goodbye the three of them left and enjoyed some conveyor belt sushi for lunch. Shinya ate about as much as Sadayo and Akira combined and they managed to get a box of sushi to go for Mona as an apology for leaving him at home. With food finally in their stomachs, Shinya and Sadayo slowly began warming to each other and Sadayo was even kind enough to buy Shinya a few souvenirs from the movie they went to see. If he were asked, Akira would have said he found the scene cute given their earlier attitudes, but he kept his mouth shut out of fear of ruining the mood.

"It was good to see you again," said Akira as they approached Shinya's apartment building. "I had fun today."

"I had fun too," chuckled Shinya as he held up his bag of souvenirs. "Besides the payment was worth it."

"Glad you like them," chuckled Sadayo, doing her best to choke back the pain of how much those few things had cost her.

"Sorry about earlier," apologized Shinya with a nervous glance at Sadayo. "I get weird around new adults so don't take anything I said too seriously."

"I'll let it slide this once." Sadayo reached out and pinched Shinya hard on the cheek. "Just keep your mouth shut about my age and we won't have any problems, deal?"

"Let me go," roared Shinya as he knocked Sadayo's hand away and rubbed his cheek. "Jeez if that's the way this is gonna be I'll try to keep my mouth shut about how old you are from now on, okay?"

"Good enough," sighed Sadayo with a defeated shrug.

"Anyway, I'll see you later Kurusu," said Shinya before giving Akira another fist pound. "Thanks for hanging out with me and thanks again for the gifts, granny!"

Shinya disappeared into the apartment building with a wave, and if it weren't for Akira, Sadayo would have followed the boy in and beaten him senseless.

"And I thought Ryuji was bad," snorted Sadayo as they boarded the train. They were happy to find that their car was barely half full and managed to grab a couple of seats.

"It just means he likes you." Akira wrapped his arm around Sadayo and pulled her close to him. "But, he was telling the truth about how he gets mouthy around adults, just give him a chance. If it gets to be too much, I'll set him straight."

"Ugh...fine," agreed Sadayo reluctantly as the train began speeding toward their neighborhood. "Only because he's your friend. You don't have any other friends that are as mouthy as him, do you?"

"Maybe a few," yawned Akira before rubbing his eyes. "Ohya is the only one that comes to mind right now."

"Don't think too hard." Sadayo kissed him and rubbed his cheek. "You're taking a nap when we get home, okay?"

"Uh huh." Akira's eyes closed before they reached the next stop and soon he was snoring lightly, his head back and his mouth slightly open. A few kids pointed and giggled at him and Sadayo couldn't help treating Akira's arms and hands like a marionette's for a few moments but stopped when he subconsciously pulled them away and grunted.

When the train reached their stop, Sadayo had to practically pull him off the train or else they would have ended up going one station too far. Once off the train, she led him back to the apartment and into their bedroom where she let him use her as a pillow for about an hour before deciding to leave and shop for something for dinner. She was able to find some pork steaks for cheap and several seasonal vegetables which she began preparing immediately after getting home.

While she was in the middle of slicing up the vegetables, she heard Akira yawn loudly and the shuffle of his feet while he checked the fastener on the leather strap she'd given him. His chest was bare, and after another loud yawn, he proceeded to scratch the scars on his belly making her chuckle.

"Couldn't bother getting dressed," she asked after setting down the knife.

"Nope," he grunted as he wandered over and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head against her shoulder. "You went shopping?"

"Yeah." Sadayo relaxed into him and allowed him to begin his usual swaying. "Pork and veggies okay?

Akira nodded, and Sadayo felt him open his mouth and begin making some grunting noises.

Rolling her eyes, Sadayo picked up a piece of eggplant and deposited it into his mouth.

"Thanks," he said after chewing loudly, his body still swaying with hers.

"You're welcome." Sadayo closed her eyes and allowed herself to melt into him.

"Are you doing okay," asked Akira, his arms squeezing her against him. "I know the past few weeks haven't been the easiest."

"I'm doing better," she sighed turning around and gave him a soft kiss. "What about you?"

"The same," Akira kissed her forehead and stroked her cheek. "But we'll get through this, okay? My parents may be a little pushy, but they aren't that bad most of the time."

"I hope you're right." Sadayo's arms tightened harder, burying herself in the safety of his embrace.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys...so here's number 9...it's a long one, so sorry.

But I'm gonna be disappearing again for a few weeks to work on another project but I'll be back. Next time...it's a family trip and we meet a new Kurusu family member and have some sexy times! I know...what...60000 words and no boning...you guys must be upset with me!

Also in March I'm gonna be in Cali for 3 weeks for work. 45 minute drive from Anaheim...outside of Disney you guys know what I can do let me know!

Chapter 9

"Kawakami-san? Kawakami-san? Are you okay?"

Sadayo jerked her head up from her work to find Maeda looking over her with a concerned expression. The girl had gotten even more tan over the summer thanks to all her training and team competitions, but despite the heat, she was still as bubbly as ever.

"I'm fine," Sadayo answered as she finalized one last piece of paperwork in regards to the school trip itinerary and the last few bits of her upcoming lesson plans. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Oh yeah, you got that trip this afternoon, don't you?" Maeda offered her friend some pocky and Sadayo hesitated before finally grabbing three sticks and cramming them into her mouth. "Finally meeting the boyfriend's parents, eh?"

"Thanks for reminding me," grunted Sadayo after swallowing her snack. "As if I needed any more stress today."

"You wanna talk about it?" Maeda pulled up one of the empty chairs and sat next to her new friend, staring intently as she chewed on a wafer. "You know it could help you feel better. You've been looking like shit the past couple of days, and you've been spacing out on occasion."

"I don't really have anything to talk about right now," Sadayo answered after she finished sending off the email to her hotel contact. "I appreciate the offer, but the truth is I should be fine once we get to his parent's place. Right now I think it's just nerves."

"Is this your first time meeting someone's parents," inquired Maeda as she polished off the last few wafers. "If so I can understand why you'd be nervous."

"I've only done this one other time," Sadayo said offhandedly. "But that was almost five years ago, and we broke up shortly after, and I didn't have any reason to be afraid of his parents since we were childhood friends. This meeting is a completely different thing since I've only talked to his mother once and it didn't go the way I wanted it. But they're happy I'm coming so I guess that's something."

"That's awesome," exclaimed Maeda before taking a sip from her bottle and swished it around before swallowing. "So how long you been with this guy?"

"Almost two years," said Sadayo without much thought. She was in the process of sending Chouno an email about some of the plans for the tutoring program.

"Sounds serious." Maeda sat back and began spinning in her chair quietly while waiting for Sadayo to finish.

"It is," smiled Sadayo before draining her glass of iced tea. "But I'm not really comfortable speaking about this at work. I try to keep my work, and personal life compartmentalized so can we drop this for now?"

"No worries," smiled Maeda, giving Sadayo an enthusiastic thumbs up. "I'm not trying to pry, just making sure you're doing okay. Did you still want to do lunch with Hiruta-san and me before you head out?"

"I didn't plan on backing out." Sadayo checked her phone and saw that she had a text from Akira. A smile played across her lips that caught Maeda's attention.

"Did he call you?" Maeda wiggled her eyebrows which made both women chuckle. "If you need a minute alone, I can step outside. I don't want to interrupt."

"It's just a text," Sadayo explained and sent a reply back. "He just wanted me to know that he's finished packing our bags and was going to pack us some food for the trip before heading to the station."

"He sounds like a dream come true." Maeda stood up and let out a loud groan as she stretched. "My last boyfriend never did stuff like that for me, but the past is the past. Is yours a good cook? It's been a long time since I've had a real home-cooked meal."

"He's not bad." Sadayo began grabbing her stuff and called out to Inui and Usami that she was heading out. They both said goodbye and wished her a pleasant trip before returning to their work. "I mean he's good, but his best dish is still this curry and coffee combination he was taught a couple of years ago."

"That sounds amazing." Maeda rubbed her stomach expectantly and let out a loud moan of longing. "Can you bring me some the next time he makes it? I can barely make instant curry without destroying it."

"I'll ask, and if you're good, maybe I'll ask him if I can give you one of the recipes he made on his own." Sadayo smiled at her younger friend's excited squeal, and the two made their way down the stairs toward the entrance. A few students that were at the school for club activities waved goodbye to them, and once they were outside, the two ladies began walking toward the restaurant where they were meeting Hiruta.

"So are you done with competitions," inquired Sadayo as they crossed the street and passed a cart selling shaved ice.

"For a bit yeah. I've been having my kids do early morning practices so they can enjoy their vacation, and some of them come to the park near my house so we can do mock exercises when they feel they haven't been improving enough." After that statement, Maeda looked longingly into a few restaurant windows and patted her stomach as it growled loudly. "Soon tummy, soon you will be filled with deliciousness."

"Do you always talk to your stomach?" Sadayo giggled to herself at the woman's quirkiness and found herself being reminded of Futaba.

"Just when I'm famished." Maeda gave her stomach another painful rub and sighed. "I forgot to eat breakfast this morning, and all I've had is some beef jerky outside of that pocky we shared."

"Thank God you're paying for your meal." Sadayo had gotten used to watching Maeda eat during their friendship, and Sadayo wasn't sure her bank account could handle the strain of feeding the gym teacher.

"Yeah, I'm an expensive date," Maeda laughed as they approached the restaurant. "But I'll try to hold...who's the kid?"

Sadayo followed Maeda's gaze and found Hiruta sitting at one of the outside tables of a cafe dressed in shorts and a brightly colored shirt with a young girl who was in a blue dress and a matching baseball hat and reading a book.

"That's Hiruta's daughter, Ikuko," explained Sadayo. She'd forgotten that Maeda hadn't met the girl and figured it would be best to forewarn her. "I'm sure you know but just to remind you, she's having a tough time with the divorce so be careful and go slow. "

"Got it," whispered Maeda after hearing Sadayo's warning. "Thanks for the warning."

"Hey!" Hiruta waved at the pair and pointed down at the table. "Hurry up and join us! Ikuko's getting impatient!"

Sadayo waved back and led Maeda to the table where they joined him happily.

"Did you order already," asked Sadayo with a cautionary glance at Ikuko.

"Nothing outside of our drinks," answered Hiruta as he took a sip of what looked like an iced tea. "Ikuko, be polite and say 'hello.'"

The girl looked up from the book she was reading and gave a Sadayo a nervous smile before saying, "Hello, Kawakami-san. How're you?"

"I'm doing okay," answered Sadayo with a gentle smile. "I'm going on a trip today, what about you?"

"Ummm…." Ikuko looked to Hiruta who nodded his approval, and the girl said, "Daddy is going to take me to the aquarium and planetarium soon. Mommy had to go on a business trip, so I get to spend my whole vacation with him."

"I bet that's made you very happy," chuckled Maeda; like many of the teachers, Maeda had little difficulty being sensitive to the girl's predicament.

Ikuko jumped nervously and fidgeted in her seat before nodding vigorously. She had her father's smile and his hair, but unlike him, she was quiet and reserved. Sadayo didn't know if it was because of her shyness or if it was her natural demeanor, but either way, experience had taught Sadayo to let the girl do the talking, and she was glad Maeda was following suit.

"Uh huh." Ikuko smiled at her father and then looked back down at what was possibly her summer homework. "Daddy and I have been having a lot of fun."

"Too much fun," chuckled Hiruta as he patted his daughter's head. "So much in fact that she still hasn't finished her homework. So she's got to finish all of it before we waste her last few days of vacation. Speaking of which, you ready for your trip Kawakami?"

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Maeda. I don't want to talk about it." Sadayo placed an order for some more tea and a salad before continuing. "I just want to concentrate on having some fun right now, okay?"

"Why don't you want to talk about it," Ikuko asked quietly as she finished the last page of her book. "I thought you said it was bad if you don't talk about your problems, Daddy?"

"Sometimes it's okay to not talk about things until you're ready." Hiruta gave his daughter another pat on the head and smiled. "So when someone tells you that they don't want to talk about it, it's okay to give them some space until they're ready."

"All right." Ikuko gave Sadayo a nervous smile and then went back to her work. "I hope you have fun with your boyfriend, though Kawakami-san. Daddy says you've been waiting for this trip for a long time."

"I have," sighed Sadayo with a small glare at Hiruta. The science teacher gave her a wink, but the woman could barely resist the urge to kick him under the table. "And if it's okay with your daddy, maybe I can bring you back some souvenirs, would you like that?"

Ikuko nodded and said, "Totally! Daddy is it okay for Kawakami-san to bring me back some treats?!"

"I'm fine with it, so long as I you behave yourself and finish all your homework, deal?"

"Deal!" Ikuko held out both her pinkies allowing Sadayo and Hiruta to grip them, sealing the deal.

After that, they spent the remainder of their lunch talking about their plans for their classes, competitions, and the trip they'd be taking to Hong Kong with the students at the end of September.

It'd taken a long time for Hiruta, Sadayo, and the other teachers involved to find decent lodging for a reasonable price and in a safe neighborhood. But in the end, they'd managed, and after getting approval from all the necessary parties, they'd made their announcement before summer vacation to several applause and cheers from the student body.

"I can't wait to buy a new suit," laughed Hiruta after they finished their lunch and began walking toward the train station to see Sadayo off.

"We'll be traveling to Hong Kong, and the thing you want is a suit," asked Maeda after a loud belch. "They got a Disneyland, the Ladies Market, beautiful landscapes and buildings, and all you want is to buy a suit?!"

"I can get a good quality hand-tailored one for cheap there. I may even buy two or three." Hiruta gave Maeda a nervous grin and scratched his head as they continued toward the station. "Plus, I don't want to see too much too quickly. If I like it, maybe I can talk Megumi into letting me take Ikuko next summer."

"Why do you need a suit, Daddy?" Ikuko looked up at her father; her head cocked to one side. "You don't work in an office so why do you need one?"

"Because you can wear a suit for all sorts of occasions, sweetie." Hiruta placed a hand on Ikuko's head and ruffled her hair. "I can use them for work, going out to school events or even dates. You never know when you'll need a nice suit, sweetie."

Ikuko stopped dead in her tracks at her father's words, and all three adults gave her a concerned look. The girl looked like she was about to cry and Sadayo felt a small stab in her heart when she sobbed, "So my prayer at the shrine for you and Mommy to get back together isn't going to come true?"

"Ikuko-chan?" Maeda took a step forward to comfort the girl, but Hiruta held his hand out.

"Umm..." Hiruta looked embarrassingly between his daughter and co-workers before asking, "Can you two...I'm sorry for this to come off as rude but, would I'm going to need to leave the two of you here if that's all right?"

"It's fine," coughed Maeda, a blush creeping up her dark face. "My stop is just at the next street anyway, and yours is the street after that, right Kawakami-san?"

"Yes, it is," Sadayo confirmed hesitantly before giving Ikuko a warm smile. "It'll be okay sweetie, just listen to what your dad has to say, okay?"

Ikuko ignored Sadayo and instead began kicking the ground sullenly. After few quiet farewells, the two women headed off toward their respective train stops.

"Poor kid," sighed Maeda after they'd left Hiruta behind to deal with his daughter. "I hope she's going to be okay. I can't imagine what it's like for her."

"Neither can I." Sadayo had heard from Hiruta about how Ikuko was doing better, but Sadayo could swear she saw the last ray of hope about her parents flicker out. "I know Hiruta-san, has done his best to see how bad the divorce got, but maybe it ended up hurting her more than helping her."

"Maybe." Maeda cast one last look back from where they came and shook her head. "Poor guy, he works so hard to make her happy in the limited time he gets with her."

"She's his whole world," added Sadayo as they continued walking. "And she's a kid so it's understandable that Ikuko'd want him to move back in with her and her mother. Unfortunately, life isn't that kind."

"No, it's not," agreed Maeda with a sad smile. "But I think we're going to have to shelf our conversation, for now, we've reached my stop."

"So we have," grinned Sadayo as she stared up at the sign. "You enjoy the rest of your break okay? I'll make sure to bring you back a few souvenirs. Was there anything in particular you wanted?

"I'll leave it up to you." Maeda gave a polite bow before running off toward her train. "Enjoy your trip! And good luck with meeting his parents!"

Sadayo waved back, her face flushed with embarrassment and headed off toward her station before getting any more unwanted attention. After boarding, she checked her bag to make sure she had her charger and other necessities and felt a wave of relief when she found everything was accounted for When everything was in its proper place, Sadayo pulled her phone from the pocket of her jeans and dialed Akira's number. It rang a few times, but after the fifth ring he picked up.

"How'd your lunch go," was the first thing he asked once they were connected.

"Not too bad," she said with less enthusiasm than she intended. "Hiruta brought Ikuko with him, and it finally hit her that there was practically zero chance of him and his ex-wife getting back together. So chances are he's going to have to spend the rest of the day calming her down."

"That sounds rough." Akira sounded as upset as Sadayo at this news; though she wasn't surprised. Akira was always concerned about the state of Sadayo's social life and supported her and the friendships she pursued.

"It is," she said as the train sped past a large group of office buildings while a small feeling of dread built up in the back of her mind. "I'm sure Hiruta-san will text me later about what happened, are you okay with that?"

"I've never been bothered by it before," chuckled Akira through what sounded like a mouthful of food. "So why would it bug me now? I'm not worried about you having a friend who's a guy so will you quit freaking out already?"

"I'm trying, okay," giggled Sadayo as a weight seemed to lift off her chest. "It's just that he knows I'm going on this trip and I want to make sure it won't bother you if he needs to talk to me about Ikuko-chan."

Ever since she and Hiruta had started talking, Sadayo had made sure she was honest with Akira about their friendship and in true Akira fashion his response had surprised her. The moment he found out, Akira told her she didn't have to and that he trusted her, but regardless, Sadayo always told him about her and Hiruta's conversations. After everything they'd been through Sadayo felt it was the least, she could do for him; even if it wasn't necessary.

"For the last time," grunted Akira in what sounded like a stretch, "it's not a big deal. What will bother me is if you don't hurry the hell up and get over here. I miss you, and I want to grab a few things before we get on the train."

"I'll be there in about twenty minutes." Sadayo blushed a bit when she heard him say he missed her and couldn't wait to reach the station. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the Big Bang Burger near the ticket booth," Akira hiccuped after a low burp.

"All right," groaned Sadayo at hearing he was gulping down fast food. Even with Haru's changes to the chain, Sadayo still couldn't bring herself to enjoy the restaurant. "I'll see you soon."

They both hung up, and Sadayo hummed happily to herself as the train sped along. Even with as nervous as she was Sadayo felt herself getting excited at the prospect of finally meeting Akira's family. She wasn't one-hundred percent sure how she'd handle hiding the fact that she'd spent a week at their house the previous summer, but they had a few cover stories just in case his parents decided to probe a bit deeper.

Neither of them was looking forward to lying about their relationship, but they both agreed there were certain aspects that they could leave until all parties were more comfortable with one another.

"Now arriving at Tokyo Station, please exit carefully and take all your belongings with you."

Sadayo cleared the cobwebs from her head and departed the train and made her way to the ticket booth where Akira was sipping a soda. He waved her over and offered her some of his drink, but she declined, confused by the absence of the cat carrier.

"Where's Mona?" Sadayo had thought Akira would be bringing the cat with him and found herself missing his bright blue eyes.

"He's staying with Futaba," grunted Akira as he tossed his cup away. "I figured it'd be easier this way since my parents don't have anything for him at their house."

"I guess that makes sense." Sadayo had grown fond of conversing with the cat but knew it was for the best. "Well let's make sure we bring him back a few treats."

"He's already given me a list." Akira held up his phone and showed a list of food items that Sadayo wasn't familiar with.

"Are these local delicacies?" Sadayo began looking through the list again, and she could swear she'd seen some of them before, but couldn't place them.

"Yeah," Akira grunted as he grabbed their rolling suitcases and the bag filled with Eiko's idol merchandise. "Most of them are sweets, but there are other things on the list we can get last minute."

"Great," groaned Sadayo as she looked down at the bulging bag of idol products. "We're probably going to come back with more than we're leaving with. Why couldn't you have borrowed the van? It'd give us more time to figure out what we'll tell your parents."

"Because I'm not on the insurance," grunted Akira as he pulled his suitcase into one of the stores near the ticket booth. "If I were on the insurance, I'd have asked Sae-san if I could borrow it, but since it's in her name and since she's paying it, I can't complain."

"Fine," snorted Sadayo as she watched Akira pick up a few small souvenirs and sweets. "Why are you picking these up? Your mom told me that we didn't need to bring anything when I spoke to her about our visit."

"You may not have to, but I do." Akira grabbed one final item and headed toward the counter.

"Why do you have to?" Sadayo looked at all the snacks and other items as Akira placed them on the counter.

"This is just her way of saying she still hasn't forgiven me for dodging her calls." Akira gave the cashier a nervous smile while the man rang everything up. "So this is one of the many penances I'll have to pay during this trip."

"At least they're cheap," grumbled Sadayo feeling like this was her fault.

"Will you relax," Akira chuckled as he handed over the money. "It's not like I'm spending money left and right."

"I am relaxed," huffed Sadayo as they exited the store. "I'm just worried about..."

"About what?" Akira turned, putting his face uncomfortably close to hers, bathing her in the scent of mint.

Sadayo didn't know when he'd eaten one, but she found it more pleasing than the clinging scent of charred meat in his clothing. Stepping back, Sadayo scanned the area for any possible signs of co-workers or students. They were in a crowded station, and the odds of them getting caught had increased exponentially, and suddenly old fears began creeping into her mind and her flight instinct kicked in.

"It doesn't matter," she whispered and began moving toward their ticket booth.

"It does too," he said pulling her back to him and giving her a light kiss which she returned happily. When they finished, he entwined his fingers with hers and asked, "What are you worried about? I haven't touched my savings much it'd take a long time for me to make a dent in it so what are you worried about?"

"I'm just worried about our future." Sadayo felt her face burn at the words and proceeded to pay for their tickets.

She could feel his eyes on her, and after they passed through the gate, Sadayo immediately headed to their train with Akira on close behind. After finding their seats, Sadayo went to the concession car and purchased a beer for herself and water for Akira.

"Thanks," he said after taking the water from her. He didn't open it but continued to watch as she sipped her beer.

"What," she asked painfully aware of all the people now in their car. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You surprised me is all." Akira uncapped his water took a swig of water just as the train jerked forward, making him splash water all down the front of his shirt. He let out a loud groan and reached for a spare handkerchief he kept in his backpack.

"You mean like that," snorted Sadayo as she returned to her beer.

"Just like that." Akira finished drying off and capped his water. His gaze shifted to the now blurring city, and he smiled. "But truth be told, I didn't think you'd say something like that, about our future I mean. So yeah, I was caught a little off-guard."

"You don't think about our future?" Sadayo figured he wouldn't, not nearly as much as she did, given their age gap, but she thought he would take at least a little time to contemplate their life together.

Eight years may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but in truth, it affected so many things that she couldn't keep track. Unlike him, she'd had time to figure out where she wanted her life to go. She'd had it planned for years, and he was a part of those plans, so Sadayo thought she was part of whatever ideas he had about the future given that they were now living together.

Last summer when she'd asked him on a whim if he'd live with her and she'd been so happy that he accepted. The look he had in his eyes when he'd sent the picture of his note had her in tears. The pure joy and love on Akira's face when he told her that he wanted to make a home with her had made her want to die from happiness, but now he seemed so distant. It was almost as if he was annoyed with her questions and was beginning to wonder if he was starting to regret his decision. She'd asked him before, and he said no every time, but once again his attitude left her uncertain.

Sadayo was ready to ask him if he regretted her, but stopped when he said, "I do think about it sometimes."

"You do?"

"Why the tone of surprise?" Akira turned his attention back to her and his grey eyes drilling into hers.

"Well, we've never really talked about it." Sadayo began running her finger along the rim of her beer can, trying to avoid his gaze. "We normally just talk about whatever is on our minds at the moment so…."

"Am I doing something wrong?"

"What makes you think that?!" Sadayo's hand raised a bit too quickly as she spoke and beer spilled all over her chest. "Damn it. Now your parents are gonna think I'm a drunk."

"No, they won't." Akira reached into his backpack and handed her a fresh shirt. "It won't help much with the smell, but you should be fine so long as the smell doesn't stick to your underwear."

Sadayo couldn't help but find the blush that crept up his cheeks adorable and took the shirt.

"Thank you," she said before kissing him on the cheek. "I'll be right back, and we can talk about this some more, okay?"

Akira nodded and gave her a tired smile before she disappeared into the bathroom. However, when she returned, Sadayo wasn't surprised to find Akira passed out in his seat.

Sighing in both frustration and adoration, Sadayo took her seat and noticed that someone had come by and cleared away her beer can. Grumbling about the wasted money, Sadayo finally took the chance to see what kind of shirt Akira had lent her. Looking down she grunted in disgust at the graphic on his tee-shirt when she saw that it was covered with a bunch of cute little anime characters. After silently cursing her boyfriend, Sadayo reached into her bag and pulled out a book she'd just started and began reading.

After about an hour, Akira began jerking in his sleep and muttering something under his breath about Ryuji and Yusuke needing to watch their backs.

Putting her book down, Sadayo took his hand and began massaging it gently. An employee came by when he let out a small scream and Sadayo had to explain the situation the best she could. After hearing the explanation, the man gave Akira a suspicious look and snorted derisively.

"Just make sure he doesn't get too out of hand," chided the man after processing the information.

"Of course." Sadayo gave him a cold glare at his attitude and felt a rush of triumph when she saw the man realize that there was no further reason to chastise her. When he was gone, Sadayo watched Akira sleep for a few more minutes, and he calmed down, she returned to her book with one hand squeezing his.

Akira woke up just before they reached Atami Station. When he woke, he gave her a soft smile and squeezed her hand before wiping the sleep from his eyes. After finishing the rest of his water, Akira and Sadayo gathered their items and made their transfer.

To her relief, Akira managed to stay awake throughout the rest of their trip. Sadayo guessed it was partially because of his long nap and the other because he needed to eat some of the snacks he brought. While he gorged on some beef jerky, Sadayo felt the urge to talk to him about why he didn't think about their future but decided against it. He was awake, speaking, and smiling at her without a hint of trouble and she didn't want to spoil the mood.

They spent the remainder of their journey talking about what they may or may not do while they were at his parents. Since the couple had been too busy to celebrate his birthday, Akira's parents had said that they had a family excursion planned for the weekend. Sadayo wondered what it was and asked Akira if it was a trip out of town or an all-nighter at the night market.

"Those are possible," he said as he noticed the train station of his hometown pull into view. "My parents do like going all out, and since you're here for your first official visit, they're probably going to take things to the extreme."

"That sounds like it'd be fun," chuckled Sadayo at Akira's subtle hint to keep her previous visits a secret. "I've always wondered what it's like hanging out with your parents. Do you think they'll show me all sorts baby pictures and tell me embarrassing stories?"

"Smartass," snorted Akira as he gave her a gentle flick on the forehead. "Keep that up, and I'll make sure you don't get to visit them ever again."

"Oh like that's going to stop me from wanting to learn all the dumb things you got up to as a kid," grinned Sadayo. "Besides, I'm officially your parents guest, not yours, which means you have no say this tie around."

"I'll make sure to remember that when we're in the room later," grumbled Akira as he began checking on his luggage.

"Idle threats won't get you anywhere, Aki-kun," teased Sadayo as the train began slowing down.

Smirking Akira reached into his backpack and pulled out a familiar black and white choker, a smug smirk on his face as he asked, "Since when have you ever known me not to follow through on a promise?"

Sadayo's face turned a deep crimson at the sight of her choker and remained quiet as they disembarked. As she stepped onto the platform, Sadayo was beginning to feel weird about having to act like a tourist despite her previous visits. Everything looked the same, and Sadayo was confident she could find her way back to the Kurusu residence if she tried, but necessity dictated that she play the fool for a next for the next week.

Both Akira and Sadayo wanted to make a good impression and if lying for a bit was the only way they could do it, then she was happy to until they could find the right opportunity to tell them the truth.

"Where are they?" Akira glanced around at the crowd and let out a disgruntled sigh. "They said they would be near the platform."

"Do you think they got the wrong platform?" Sadayo began feeling anxious, hoping that his parents weren't hiding from them.

"It's possible. Can you keep an eye out for them? I'm going to try giving them a call." Akira began looking through his belongings for his phone.

Sadayo continued to scan the crowd, looking for anyone that resembled the pictures she'd seen on her last visit but nobody seemed familiar.

After finding his phone, Akira began dialing a number, and both he and Sadayo nearly jumped out of their skins when they heard a voice scream, "AKIRA!

The couple turned their gaze in the direction of the voice and Sadayo watched her boyfriend's face light up at the sight of a young woman running toward him. Based on her appearance, Sadayo deduced that the fit, black-haired, bespectacled girl was Akira's younger sister, Eiko. She was a bit taller than Sadayo and dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a tank-top.

Eiko had a broad smile on her face, and when she reached them, the girl nearly knocked her brother over as she wrapped her arms around him and begin squeezing.

"It's so good to see you," she squealed as she jumped up and down, crushing her brother's ribs.

The reaction caught Sadayo by surprise as Akira had told her he and his sister weren't as close as they used to be. But based on this response, Sadayo was inclined to think some of it had all been in her boyfriend's head.

"It's...goo..see...Ei...let...go," grunted Akira as his little sister kept her python-like hold on her brother.

"Sorry." Eiko let go and gave an apologetic bow. "I just got so excited since you haven't called and then we thought we missed picking you up, and you might have caught a cab since we...well we went to the wrong platform."

"Seems I was right," chuckled Sadayo as Akira rubbed his injured ribs, catching Eiko's attention.

"I'm sorry." Eiko turned to Sadayo and bowed deeply. "I'm Kurusu Eiko, Akira's younger sister. It's a pleasure to meet you Sadayo-san or would you prefer Kawakami-san?"

"It's nice to meet you too, Eiko-chan." Sadayo returned the bow and smiled warmly. "But there's no need for formalities so feel free to call me whatever you're most comfortable with."

"Then Sadayo-chan it is." Eiko looked at her brother and then at Sadayo before coughing nervously. "So you're my brother's girlfriend?"

"I am," said Sadayo proudly. "It's nice to see that some of the stories your brother has been telling me aren't true."

"What stories?" Eiko turned to her brother and gave him a soft poke in the chest. "Have you been talking shi..."

"Eiko?!" A stout woman with a round face appeared looking harried as she shouted the young girl's name. "Eiko, why did you suddenly run off and...oh!"

"Hi, Mom." Akira waved nervously at his mother and placed a hand on the small of Sadayo's back and began walking toward his mother.

"Akira," Sachiko walked forward and gave her son a gentle kiss on the cheek and a loving smile before turning to Sadayo. "And you must be, Sadayo. It's lovely to meet you."

"Hello." Sadayo's voice sounded like a kitten's meow, but it was better than nothing. She felt like she was going to faint and her legs felt like lead. Her mind was screaming at her to run away, but the feeling of Akira's hand helped her fight the instinct while Sachiko examined her.

Each second Sachiko looked her over, Sadayo felt like she was about to pass out from the stress. She wished the older woman would say something, anything, but she didn't. Sachiko just continued to stare and examine her until a deep voice echoed from behind them.

"Sachiko!"

A tall, thin man with small widow's peak appeared next to his wife, clutching a stitch in his side. He waved hello to his son, and then looked at Sadayo with a confused expression.

"Are you who I think you are?"

Sadayo managed a jerky nod and felt herself finally begin to breathe thanks to the familiar look in the man's eyes. It was easy to see where Akira got his looks from and Sadayo knew that there was no turning back. She looked to Akira for some advice but instead found him smiling.

The sense of relief was so sudden that Sadayo couldn't control her body and soon found herself giving an incredibly deep bow as she practically shouted,

"KawakamiSadayoacquaitancetomakeyourhappy, havingmethankyou!"

Both Sachiko and Osamu looked at each other and then at Akira and Sadayo, mouths slightly agape at the rush of words before bursting into laughter making Sadayo blush even more.

"She's adorable," giggled Sachiko as she took Sadayo's hands in hers. "Stand up dear, there's no reason to be so nervous, we aren't going to bite."

Sadayo's head whipped up so fast that Sachiko barely dodged the rush of hair that nearly slapped her in the face.

"Take a deep breath and relax," Sachiko said in a motherly tone. "It's okay to be nervous, I'm Kurusu Sachiko and welcome to our hometown."

"And I'm Kurusu Osamu." Osamu stepped forward and gave a courteous bow. "It's lovely to meet you, my dear."

After several more deep breaths, Sadayo repeated, "I'm Kawakami Sadayo. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Thank you for having me this week."

"That's more like it." Sachiko let go of Sadayo's hands and gave her another gentle smile. "You are a pretty one, and your hair is so lovely. I wish mine could get like that."

"I've been growing it out for a while now." Sadayo's hand flew instinctively to her shoulder, and she began stroking the ends of her hair. "I'm sorry for my attitude, it's just been a bit since I've met someone's parents, friend or otherwise. Well, that's a bit of a lie, I just mean..."

"Relax," whispered Akira with a small chuckle, "everything will be fine."

"Like you're one to talk Akira," teased Eiko as she approached with the bags. "It's only been five minutes, and you look like you're about to shit your pants."

"Eiko, language," scolded Sachiko with a shake of her head. "Good lord, you're going to be almost as bad as Ryuji at this rate. At least keep the swearing to a minimum while Sadayo is here."

"It doesn't really bother me that much." Sadayo gave Eiko a wink, feeling relaxed that at least someone besides her, Makoto, Ann, and Yusuke had issues with Ryuji's language. "It's occasionally a pain, but I'm getting used to it."

"See Mom," chuckled Eiko, as she began trying to take a peek inside the bag Sadayo was carrying. "She doesn't mind. I don't know what you're so afraid of?"

"Just keep it to a minimum," chuckled Sadayo as she hid the contents of the bag from the teenage girl. "Do that for me, and we'll get along just fine."

"I know we will." Sachiko tilted her head to the bags and said, "Akira, Eiko, get the bags and we'll head to the car."

Sadayo was surprised that Akira and Eiko didn't raise a fuss at their mother's request and grabbed the bags.

As they walked, Osamu and Akira began quietly conversing about his college courses while Sachiko tended to something on her phone. Eiko, on the other hand, busied herself with examining Sadayo much in the way her mother had, making the teacher extremely uncomfortable.

"Is there something I can do for you, Eiko-chan," Sadayo asked quietly as they continued their walk.

"Not really," said the girl as she continued to stare at Sadayo. She kept this up for several seconds, her eyes narrowed in confusion before she finally asked, "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"I don't know how you could have," Sadayo answered with a nervous grin. "This is my first time here, so it's almost impossible for us to have met before today."

"That's true," hummed the girl as they exited the train station. "It's just strange, but I feel like I've seen your face before."

"Leave her alone," growled Akira after breaking the conversation with his father. "You'll have plenty of time to harass her when we get to the house."

"I'm not harassing her," snapped Eiko launching a foot at her brother's backside only to miss by mere centimeters. "I'm just asking her a question."

"Sounds like harassment to me," chuckled Akira as he turned to face his sister. "Keep it up, and I'll take back everything I sent you while I was gone."

"Oh shut up!" Eiko's face burned with embarrassment, unsure of whether or not Sadayo knew what he was talking about. "I already told you I'd pay you back and I got the money in my room so quit hassling me. Although I should hold back a couple thousand yen since the last one you sent was a bit defective."

"What do you mean defective?" Akira was beginning to sound annoyed, but there was laughter in his eyes that Sadayo hadn't seen in a while and it warmed her heart. "I inspected the thing myself, Sadayo too, and we didn't see anything wrong with it."

"You were with him?" Eiko's face fell and turned sheet white when she heard her brother's news. "You know what my brother's been sending me?"

"You mean all the idol merchandise?" Sadayo had wanted to wait until they got to the house but she had to admit that she was enjoying seeing the younger girl get so flustered. Reaching into the bag, Sadayo pulled out one of the shirts containing a beaming pop trio in bright dresses, posed in the typical idol fashion.

"In all honesty, I thought about keeping this one, but it's not my style." Sadayo extended her hand to Eiko while Akira and his parents watched in amused silence as Eiko's hand twitched anxiously.

"That's...," Eiko looked at her brother, her face now bright red as she fought the urge to chew her brother out or accept the gift quietly.

"Thank you," grunted Eiko, taking the shirt and clutching it to her chest before running toward the car.

"Well, that went better than I thought," chuckled Osamu before clapping Akira on the back. "Come on you two, let's get to the house. It's gonna be dinner time soon, and I'm sure you two would like to get cleaned up and settled in before we eat."

After loading everything into the car, Eiko disappeared into the back and hid among the luggage while listening to some music on her phone.

"She'll get over it," laughed Osamu noticing Sadayo's concern in the review mirror. "She's just really shy about that hobby of hers. I don't know if she told you Akira, but she started decorating her room with all that stuff you sent her."

"Really," Akira turned his gaze to Eiko who was flipping through her text messages while clutching her new tee-shirt to her chest. "Is it as creepy as I think it is?"

"Not really," hummed Sachiko so her husband could focus on driving. "It is a bit weird to see all those girls and boys on the wall, but she's more relaxed now and made a few new friends once she decided to be a bit more open about it. I think she's going to a concert just after school starts, but she hasn't confirmed it yet."

"As long as she's happy," mumbled Akira as he squeezed Sadayo's hand.

"So, Sadayo-san," began Osamu after seeing the gesture in the mirror, "what about you? Do you have any plans after this idiot heads back to school?"

"Just a lot of work," answered Sadayo quietly. "We're going to be getting pretty busy soon once the winter starts and I have a lot of planning to do for the new year as well."

"Sounds a lot like your job," chuckled Osamu at his wife. "You guys have to change the menu soon don't you?"

"Yes we do," hummed Sachiko as she finished putting something on her phone. "That's why I've been on my phone all day. We finally figured out the new dinner...dammit."

"What's the matter," asked Osamu as they pulled into the driveway.

"I forgot to buy the groceries for dinner," sighed Sachiko, rubbing her temple in frustration. Turning around she gave Sadayo and apologetic look and asked, "I'm sure Akira has told you a bit about my abilities in the kitchen, but would you mind waiting until tomorrow for me to cook you something? I got so caught up in cleaning and work that I don't have anything prepped for tonight."

"That's fine," chuckled Sadayo at the look of embarrassment on the woman's face. "Are we going to eat at one of your restaurants in town? Akira told me that you get rave reviews constantly and I've been dying to try one."

"Maybe at the end of the trip," chuckled Sachiko as she climbed out of the car and opened the door for Akira and Sadayo. "I hope you aren't against eating take out."

"If you're ordering, I'm sure it'll be fine," said Sadayo as she slid out of the car and tapped Eiko on the shoulder to let the girl know they were at the house.

Eiko maintained her silence as she handed bags out to everyone and after taking her bag of gifts from Sadayo with a quiet, "Thank you," she headed into the house without delay.

"Did I do something wrong?" Sadayo looked at Osamu and Sachiko, both of whom shook their heads at her question.

"Don't worry about her," grunted Osamu after a deep stretch. "She'll be wearing that shirt when she comes down for dinner; just give her a couple of hours, and she'll be back to her usual crazy self. "

"That she will," giggled Sachiko after accepting a kiss on her cheek from her husband before watching him walk toward the house. "Are you going to help set up for dinner or are you going to disappear into your office for a bit?"

"I gotta send out my diagnosis of a patient for that case Yamamoto-san asked me to help with, shouldn't take me more than half-an-hour."

"Sure it will," grumbled Sachiko as her husband disappeared into the house. "Akira would you mind if I borrowed your girlfriend for a bit?"

"That's not something you should be asking me, Mom." Akira picked up a few of the bags and asked, "Are you gonna be okay helping my mom?"

"It'd be my pleasure," smiled Sadayo as she grabbed a few more bags. "Just let me help him put our things away, and I'll be right down."

"Absolutely, just come downstairs and go around the corner to reach the kitchen. Akira," Sachiko gave her son a mischievous wink, "don't keep her too long."

"Really, Mom?"Akira gave his mother a disgusted look at what the wink implied making his mother laugh as she disappeared into the house.

"They seem nice," chuckled Sadayo as she followed Akira up the familiar steps toward his room. She noticed Eiko's door was closed and Sadayo could hear the muffled sounds of music emanating from it. "I think this trip is going to be good for us, more specifically you."

"Maybe," whispered Akira as he opened the door to his room. "Just make sure you watch what you say. We still haven't told them the truth about your job, and I don't want us to get ahead of ourselves."

"Akira," Sadayo set her bag in the closet like she had the previous summer and pulled him into a strong hug. "It'll be okay."

"I know," answered Akira, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders. "And I'm sorry I fell I asleep on the train. Between work, school, and my meds I've..."

"It's fine." Sadayo turned him around and gave him a deep kiss. "I know you're trying and I didn't mean to pressure you into that conversation. It's just that...ever since the party I've been thinking about our future a lot more than I usually do and I guess I was just looking for some reassurance that you felt the same way I do."

"Just so you know," he said giving her a kiss of his own, "I do think about our future, and it scares me."

"What are you afraid of?" Sadayo brushed some stray hairs out of his eyes and cupped his cheek.

"That I'm spending all this time and energy doing something that won't amount to anything." Akira sighed loudly and shook his head. "That I won't be able to find a job after college because of some asshole getting wind of my record and I'm gonna be stuck working for Lala and Iwai for the rest of my life."

"That wouldn't be too bad," said Sadayo with a warm smile. "I mean you're gaining a lot of skills doing those jobs. Learning how to interact with people, doing things like inventory and building a customer base. Besides Iwai and Lala make it work, maybe you can ask them for tips on how to start your own business if you can't find a job."

"Me with my own business? In this shithole economy?" Akira scoffed at the thought. "I'd sooner ask your dad for a job."

"There are worse ideas than starting your own business," giggled Sadayo at the thought of Akira working for her dad. "But I wouldn't ask my dad for a job, I mean they still don't know we're dating."

"We'll fix that soon enough." Akira bent his head and gave her another kiss before resting his forehead on hers. "And thanks for the support; it means a lot."

"You're welcome." Sadayo gave him a quick squeeze just as his mom shouted up to him asking for Sadayo.

"'Ask not for whom the bell tolls,'" sighed Akira as he pointed to the door. "You better go or else she's gonna come up here and drag you down."

"Good point," Sadayo kissed him once more before heading downstairs where she found Sachiko speaking in a language she'd never heard before.

Despite knowing where everything was, Sadayo made an effort to act like she didn't know where anything was as she gathered plates and glasses. After a few more minutes, Sachiko hung up and began collecting cutlery from a nearby drawer.

"You sure got used to the kitchen fast," commented Sachiko in surprise.

"Well, once you told me about the plates I thought that Akira would have set up our kitchen like yours and...turns out I was right."

"Really? Akira set up your kitchen like ours," asked the chef in mild amusement. "Then tell me where the pots and pans would be?"

Sadayo looked around the kitchen, trying her best to act by her and Akira's agreement and then pointed at one of the cabinets.

"This is just going to be a guess because our kitchen is much smaller, but I'm going to guess it's in one of the two cabinets to the right of the oven?"

"You're right," sighed Sachiko as she and Sadayo finished setting the table. "The one furthest from the oven but you're right, and I'm not surprised that Akira did that. I've set this up in a similar fashion to my restaurants in case I have one of my testing sessions with my employees. It didn't cause any problem after he moved in did it?"

Sadayo shook her head and said, "It took a couple of weeks because I'd gotten used to how I'd had it set up originally, but it's grown on me, and you're right it does help make things easier when cooking."

"Glad to hear it," said Sachiko just as Osamu and the kids walked into the kitchen.

"Hello," whispered Eiko now clad in her brand-new idol shirt. "Is dinner here?"

"It'll be a bit longer, Eiko. I just put in the order about fifteen minutes ago."

"What'd you order," asked Osamu as he pulled out a couple of beers.

"Thai," Sachiko said happily to the looks of delight on her family's faces. "I made sure to order a couple of fish dishes for you too Sadayo as per Akira's request when I asked if there was any food you liked."

"Oh, well thank you very much." Sadayo's face flushed making Eiko snicker and Akira avert his gaze.

"Beer," asked Osamu holding out a glass to Sadayo.

"Uhh not right now," she declined politely and pointed at her shirt. "I bought one on the train but spilled it which is why I'm wearing this."

"That makes sense," said Osamu with a small chuckle. "I thought you'd gotten into the habit of stealing his clothes."

"She does steal my clothes," grunted Akira as he pulled a soda from the fridge.

"Well you know what they say about girlfriends stealing your clothes big brother," shouted Eiko from the couch, "'it's like planting a flag in a conquered fortress.'"

"Who says that," snorted Sachiko through her beer.

"I heard my friend Airi's mom say it once when she was making fun of her brother," explained Eiko with a shrug.

"She's not wrong," sighed Akira as he took a seat down at the table. "If it wasn't for her job, I'm pretty sure Sadayo would wear my clothes every day if she could."

"What do you do anyway," asked Osamu after finishing his beer. "Akira still hasn't told us what it is you do for a living."

"Dad, come on." Akira shook his head and set his can of soda on the table. "Do you have to start probing right away?

"It's an honest question," retorted Osamu with a hint of annoyance at his son's attempt to avoid the conversation. "We know you're working at that bar and airsoft shop, your sister has a job working at the department store, and if you two are living in an apartment in Tokyo, I'm pretty sure she's got a decent enough job to afford it. If she doesn't want to tell us then she doesn't have to until she's ready; we have plenty of time to get to know her."

"Dad can you not pull your reverse psychology crap? you aren't fooling anyone."

"I'm not trying to...," began Osamu, his temper slowly getting the better of him.

"It's okay," interrupted Sadayo with a nervous look at Akira. "I think we should tell them right now, just to get it out of the way."

"Are you sure?" Akira cast a nervous peripheral glance to his parents before looking back at his girlfriend. "Are you...I mean this is pretty big."

"It'll be fine," answered Sadayo with a shaky voice. "We have nothing to be worried about."

"Why would you have to worry about telling us your job," asked Osamu after pouring himself another beer while casting a nasty glare at his son. "You aren't a drug dealer are you?"

"Nothing that unsavory, Osamu-san." Sadayo chuckled nervously and took a deep breath and looked at Sachiko who was staring at her with such intensity that Sadayo wanted to run for the door. "But it's a little tricky to explain since there are a lot of variables involved but to make it simple...I'm a teacher at Shujin Academy."

Both Akira and Sadayo waited for it; the eventual eruption of angry tirades. From behind them, Sadayo and Akira could hear Eiko snickering quietly. Osamu said nothing, he just headed to the fridge and began searching for something. The look in his eyes had gone from disgruntled and annoyed to confused and distraught while Sachiko had a more livid expression plastered on her face.

"Eiko," hissed the older woman as her daughter continued to laugh, "go outside and wait for the food."

"But...,"

"Eiko, do as she says." Osamu's voice wasn't nearly as upset as his wife's, but there was a slight edge to it.

"Fine." Eiko got up from the couch and gave both Sadayo and her brother a regretful smile before heading out the front door.

"I think I'll...," bean Sadayo before being stopped by Sachiko's glare.

"You stay here," ordered Sachiko before pointing at the stairwell. "Akira, room, now."

Akira made no argument, and he followed his mother upstairs. There was a loud slam of a door proceeded by angry voices. Sadayo felt her feet begin to move before she could stop herself.

"I wouldn't do that," warned Osamu was he appeared with two bottles of sake and a couple of glasses. "You'll just get in the way and to be honest what you're hearing is mostly bluster."

"Are you sure?" Sadayo heard Akira's voice shout about him not planning on dating Sadayo followed by Sachiko yelling that she didn't care.

"Trust me," sighed Osamu holding up the drinks. "It's how they always are. She's going to yell for a bit at him, he'll yell at her and in a little while they'll be down here, calm and eating. Well as calm as they can be, but they'll have fully cooled down by morning."

Sadayo couldn't shake the disquiet at the relaxed nature of the man and said, "To be honest, Osamu-san, you being so calm about this is making me more worried than their shouting."

"After everything, I've seen," chuckled the man as he set the sake on the table, "my wife shouting at our son for dating his old teacher isn't going to make me lose any sleep."

Sadayo couldn't tell if the man's smile was genuine or for a show, but she joined him at the table and allowed him to pour her a small cup. She took a single small sip and was amazed that the man finished two glasses in rapid succession.

"Are you sure you should be drinking that quickly?" Sadayo knew how easy it was to get Akira drunk and wondered if Osamu's fortitude was as weak as his son's.

"This is the weak stuff," chuckled Osamu setting aside his glass, though the brightness of his cheeks wasn't helping Sadayo to feel relaxed. "But I appreciate your concern and don't worry, I'm not trying to get you drunk, so you'll spill your guts to me. I'm a psychiatrist, not an asshole."

"I appreciate your honesty," replied Sadayo, not sure how to take his remarks.

"If you want honesty, I'm afraid I'm one of the worst people to admire." Osamu poured himself another drink and downed it as efficiently as the others.

"Why do you say that?" Sadayo finished her drink but didn't ask for another, the sudden quiet from upstairs and the distressed gaze on Osamu's face wasn't helping.

"My son hid the fact that he was a Phantom Thief from us, he hides a girlfriend for a year and that he's moving in with her the day he moves out, not to mention the fact that you're his old...what exactly is it you teach, English?"

"Japanese," corrected Sadayo as she poured herself another drink. "I was also Akira's homeroom teacher when he attended Shujin."

"That's cliche," snorted Osamu after pouring some more sake for himself.

"I know." Sadayo couldn't help but blush but couldn't shake her unease. "If my being here is going to be a problem, I can get a hotel or head home. I don't want to disturb any festivities you have planned for Akira's birthday."

"I appreciate the offer, but it's not necessary." Osamu leaned back and stared up at the ceiling and let out a loud sigh. "You're our guest, and our son loves you, and there isn't a damn thing I can do to change his mind. He's as stubborn as his mother, and you must have the patience of a saint to be able to put up with him."

"He's not easy to live with that's for sure," giggled Sadayo. "He's messy, he doesn't do his shoulder therapy as often as he should, and his snores could wake the dead." Both Osamu and Sadayo shared a laugh at Akira's snoring problems. "Then there's his work and school schedule, his visits to his psychiatrist for his insomnia, nightmares, and..."

Sadayo looked up to find Osamu staring at her intently.

"What do you mean 'his psychiatrist,'" asked Osamu; the shakiness of his voice sent a small chill down Sadayo's spine.

Sadayo chewed on her lip and shook her head, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Sadayo-san." Osamu leaned forward, a pleading look in his eyes, "Please tell me what's going on with my son."

Sadayo shook her head again and said, "I would love to, but that is something you need to ask him about. But," she said after seeing the pain in the older man's eyes, "I think it's okay for me to say that Akira has had certain issues ever since he stopped being a Phantom and he, along with the others he worked with, are seeing help, and it's helping. It's helping more than we thought, but the medicines they prescribed him make him so groggy that he's had to miss class a few times."

"Is there anything else you can tell me," pressed Osamu and it was easy to tell that he was asking as a father and not as a psychiatrist.

"I'm sorry," coughed Sadayo with a somber shake of her head. "But I'm not going to say anything else. If you want to know what's going on, that's something you're going to have to ask him yourself."

"I can appreciate that," sighed Osamu after taking another drink. "I don't like it, but I'm glad you're willing to protect him."

"I told him I would," said Sadayo with a small smile. "Back when we first started dating, I told him that I would protect him no matter what happened."

"Easier said than done," commented Osamu as the sound of footsteps echoed from upstairs. "I know you think you can protect him but it's a lot different when they're your kid. You can prepare them as much as possible, but in the end, life will find a way to kick all of you in the ass."

"That's one way to put it," giggled Sadayo as she thought about the night she'd returned Akira's feelings. "I do love him, and I want you and Sachiko-san to accept me. But if you're not ready to, I understand."

"We're just worried," coughed Osamu before turning his attention back to Sadayo. "The fact that he's out of school lessens the dangers of your relationship, but he's been through enough. He's had a hard couple of years, and I don't know the details of your life, but I can imagine your relationship with him hasn't been easy."

"No, it hasn't," Sadayo remembered back to their sneaking around, and the fight from the previous summer and the injuries Ryuji and Akira had given each other. "We wanted to tell you, but my age and occupation should be evidence enough to why we didn't. And to be honest, I was scared because of how Ryuji and the others acted. He and Akira would have beaten each other senseless if it wasn't for Ann and Haru."

"Why'd they get into such a huge fight," inquired Osamu, amazed that something like finding out about Akira and Sadayo dating would make his son fight with his best friend.

"The same reason you and Sachiko-san are so upset with us; we lied."

Sadayo felt tears sting her eyes at the painful memories followed by the scraping of a chair and Osamu's large hand squeezing her shoulder.

"It'll be okay," he whispered while gently patting her back. "We don't hate you, Sadayo; we're just worried about the two of you."

"Dad," came Akira's voice from the hallway near the stairs. "Dad, what's the matter?"

"I'm fine," sniffed Sadayo as she wiped away the few tears that had managed to roll down her cheeks. "We were just talking about things, and a few bad memories popped up."

Osamu stepped away from Sadayo so that Akira could tend to her, before asking his wife, "Is everything okay?"

"We're getting there," huffed Sachiko, her gaze focused on her son who was now comforting his girlfriend. "But we're going to need to have a talk with them soon."

"Do you need to lie down," asked Akira, ignoring his parents as wiped away her tears.

"No," sniffed Sadayo before giving her boyfriend a soft kiss. "Your dad and I were just talking a bit about Ryuji's reaction to finding out about us, and I kind of broke down for a second."

"Why'd you...," began Akira, thinking his father had tried to pull one of his psychiatry tricks on Sadayo.

"He didn't do anything, Akira," Sadayo interrupted knowing full well where her boyfriend's mind was going. "He was very respectful and didn't press me for information, okay? We were talking because like your mother, he is concerned about our relationship, that's all."

Akira looked at his father and his girlfriend before asking his dad, "Is she telling the truth?"

"Yes," sighed Osamu, tired of his son's accusations. "Despite what you think of me, I only ask about you because I'm worried. Not because I think you're some sort of science experiment."

"Akira," whispered Sadayo as she squeezed his hand. "They're just worried, so please give them a chance; for us."

Akira chewed on his lip for a minute, and just as he was about to answer, Eiko burst in with three large bags of food, shouting, "DINNER IS SERVED!"

All of them jumped at her boisterous entrance, and for some reason after a few seconds, they all burst into a quiet fit of laughter.

"What's so funny," asked Eiko as she put the bags on the table. "Did I miss a joke?"

"No, dear," chuckled Sachiko as she began laying out the food. "You didn't miss anything."


End file.
